The National Examinations Council (NECO) has recommended three schools in Kastina, Kebbi and Oyo states for de-recognition from conducting its Senior Secondary School Examinations (SSCE) for two years.
According to the Acting Registrar/Chief Executive of NECO, Mallam Abubakar Mohammed Gana, the schools were de-recognised for their involvements in mass cheating and being special centres.
Announcing the release at the NECO Headquarters in Minna, Gana said that 17 supervisors were also blacklisted for various offences ranging from poor supervision, aiding and abetting and connivance with non-candidates to write answers on the chalkboard.
Gana further said that 40,630 representing 3.53 per cent of the candidates who sat for the examination were involved in various forms of malpractice adding that the number of malpractice cases, when compared to 2019, increased with over 50 per cent.
The Registrar explained the higher figure of malpractice cases in 2019 was not unconnected with the deployment of the new biometric verification device in the 2019 SSCE, making it “more robust monitoring by staff and external monitors also contributed to more sensitivity in detecting malpractices.”
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He further said that some members of NECO staff alleged to have been involved in malpractice cases have been recommended to face the appropriate disciplinary measures stressing that once they fail to satisfactorily defend themselves, they would be dismissed or punished appropriately.
Giving an analysis of the performance of the candidates, the Registrar said that 1,151,016 candidates, including 146 blind candidates sat for the 2019 June/July SSCE examination.
He said that 984,152 representing 85.50 per cent of the candidates made credits and above in the English language while 954,399 representing 83.03 per cent of candidates made Credit and above in Mathematics.
The number of candidates who made five credits and above including English language and Mathematics is 829,787 representing 71.59 per cent.
“The number of candidates who made five credits and above, irrespective of English language and Mathematics is 1,041,986 representing 89.90 per cent.”
Gana adjudged the 2019 June/July SSCE to be a huge success, stating that NECO has “once again delivered on its mandate.”
The Registrar also debunked an online publication urging candidates to log on to a different website to assess their results even when the results were not yet released by purchasing scratch cards emphasizing that, “NECO has abolished the use of the card in all its operations as everything is now 100 per cent online.
The approved website of NECO remains www.neco.gov.ng and has not changed. We advise parents, schools and candidates to disregard that publication and to visit only the approved site to check their results as well as to get information on our operations.”
NAN
