Over 1.5m Nigerian high school students begin final exams

More than 1.5 million final year secondary school students in Nigeria will sit their final exams from Monday.

The students have been in schools for the last two weeks preparing for the examinations. They lost several months of learning from March to July because of coronavirus restrictions which saw schools closed.

School administrators have ensured social distancing to avoid the spread of coronavirus during the exams.

The exams determine progress to universities and other tertiary institutions.

Nigeria has the highest number of candidates by far – with more than 1.5 million students in more than 19,000 schools.

Universities and other tertiary institutions remain closed in the country.

Nigeria’s Minister of State for Education Chukwuemeka Nwajiuba has said the authorities will ensure the students get a smooth transition to tertiary institutions.