The National Examination Council’s, NECO annual examinations have now been made compulsory for all public schools in Cross River State, south-south Nigeria.
Children in primary and secondary schools would freely register for the National Common Entrance Examination (NCEE), Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) and the Senior School Certificate Examination (SSCE) conducted by NECO alongside those of the West African Examination Council, WAEC.
The Governor of the state, Professor Ben Ayade gave the approval when he received the NECO Registrar and Chief Executive Officer, Professor Ibrahim Wushishi at the governor’s office in Calabar, the capital of Cross River.
Satisfactory performance
Ayade, who made the announcement in response to the request made by Professor Wushishi, expressed satisfaction with the performance of Cross River students in NECO SSCE within the past five years.
He said, “having attained 94 per cent performance efficiency, achieving a minimum of 5 credits upward, is a very strong testimony that indeed Cross Riverians are prepared to face NECO and confront this country and provide the leadership that this country needs.
“The total registration data so distributed shows that we have an average of just 10,000 applicants or registrants in a year for NECO. That number is very low. We expect that our registration for NECO should not be less than 50 to 60 thousand.
“Therefore, with the leave of the Executive Council of Cross River State, we will ensure that NECO becomes compulsory for all our public schools,” Ayade declared.
The governor commended the council for improving the quality of education in the country and urged that the body avoids all forms of malpractices.
He gave the assurance of the government’s resolve to support the council achieve its mandate.
State Benefits
Earlier, the NECO Registrar, Professor Wushishi commended Governor Ayade for developmental milestones in the educational, social and economic sectors of Cross River State.
Wushishi presented the successes of Cross River students in past examinations, noting that Cross River stood to benefit more from patronizing the Nigerian Government own National Examination Council.
According to him, “states can assess the level of performance of their candidates in comparison to other states for the purpose of improving the standard and quality of education in their state. These examinations provide national benchmarks for states to assess their performance. NECO examinations are sources of national unity and cohesion as a result of its national outlook and spread.”
Continuing, he said, “NECO certificates are recognized all over Nigeria and the international community, which opens easy access for admission into tertiary institutions in any part of Nigeria and across the globe. The Basic Education Examination Certificate can offer opportunities for engagements in skill acquisition programmes and lower-level employment in any part of Nigeria.
“We are confident that if all public schools in your state key into NECO examinations it will open up windows of opportunities for greater participation of your people in National Affairs.
He emphasized that NECO, which is the only national indigenous examination body in the country deserves the support of all Nigerians.
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