By Princess Simon (Bureau Chief North Central, in Minna)
The National Examinations Council, (NECO), has released the results of the 2021 Senior School Certificate Examinations (SSCE) external, with a reduction from 6, 465, the number of candidates booked for various examination malpractices in, 2020 to 4, 454 in 2021.
Forty-seven thousand, nine hundred and sixteen (47, 916) total number of candidates that registered for the examination, 41, 821 sat for English language out of which 36, 116, representing 78.82 percent had 5 Credits and above.
The Registrar/Chief Executive of NECO, Professor Dantani Ibrahim Wushishi, disclosed this as he formally announce the release of the 2021 SSCE (external) which took place at the Councils’ headquarters along Bida road, Minna, Niger state.
“In the area of various forms of examination malpractices, a total of 4, 454 were caught as against 6, 465 in the year 2020, which showed appreciable decline in the number of candidates indulging in cheating”.
Professor Wushishi attributed the reduction in the number of candidates involved in the malpractices to strategies deployed by NECO which yielded desired results, adding that the examination body will continue to do more in that regards.
He also explained that, 45, 756 sat for Mathematics, out of which 35, 706 representing 78.04 per cent made Credit and above while the number of candidates who got 5 Credits and above across subjects including English and Mathematics is 29, 342 representing 62.59 percent.
The Registrar also told journalists at the NECO corporate headquarters that, 37, 991 candidates, representing 81.04 per cent got 5 Credits and above, irrespective of English Language and Mathematics.
Part of measures adopted towards tackling all forms of malpractices involving staff and supervisors, he said included the blacklisting of four supervisors; one each from Niger and Borno states, while two others from Delta state were blacklisted due to poor supervision.
The NECO Chief Executive Officer also said that, as part of efforts to reposition the examination body for optimal performance, “We have embarked on some restructuring exercise that includes expansion and upgrading of zonal and state offices”.
In addition, appointments, transfers and deployment of staff across departments to various offices were also made as part of the restructuring in NECO, not only to meet present day realities but in line with global best standards.
The Registrar who however did not disclose the number of new staff employed and for which categories said, “All these were done to address problems of overcrowding in some zonal and state offices as a result of gross inadequacy of office space and shortage of staff”. NNL.
