Girls' Child Education Gains Ground as Females Dominate 2026 NCEE Exam | National Common Entrance Examination

A total of 58,187 candidates on Saturday participated in the 2026 National Common Entrance Examination (NCEE) conducted by the National Examinations Council (NECO) for admission into Federal Government Colleges across Nigeria.

The NECO Registrar, Prof. Ibrahim Wushishi, disclosed the figure while speaking with journalists in Abuja after monitoring the examination alongside the Minister of State for Education, Prof. Suwaiba Ahmad.

He noted that female candidates outnumbered their male counterparts in this year’s exercise, with over 31,000 girls sitting for the exam compared to about 26,000 boys.

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According to him, the development reflects ongoing national efforts to promote girl-child education, adding that sustained advocacy by the Federal Ministry of Education is beginning to yield positive results.

“I think this reflects the efforts of the ministry in promoting girl-child education and shows that positive results are being achieved in that regard,” he said.

Wushishi also observed a decline in overall participation compared to 64,578 candidates who sat for the examination in 2025, indicating a drop in turnout this year.

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The 2026 NCEE highlights both progress in female participation and a slight drop in overall candidate turnout, pointing to shifting dynamics in access to basic education across the country.

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