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Tag: NECO

  • Governor decries pupils’ performance in NECO

    Governor decries pupils’ performance in NECO

    Niger State Governor Abubakar Sani Bello yesterday decried the poor performance of pupils in the Senior Secondary School Certificate Examination (SSSCE) conducted by the National Examinations Council (NECO).

    The governor spoke when he hosted the new Registrar/Chief Executive Officer of NECO,  Prof. Abdulrashid Garba, in the Government House, Minna.

    He said: “I have not been too pleased with the performance of our pupils in NECO examinations in recent times. I believe we can do better. I look forward to meeting you soon to discuss what we need to do for our pupils to excel in NECO examinations.”

    He said his administration would correct the situationby providing a conducive learning and teaching environment to improve academic performance.

    Bello assured the NECO boss of improved relationship between the government and the examination body.

    Prof. Garba said improvement in pupils’ performance would not be dependent on the examination body, but on the government.

    He said the government should formulate a policy to improve primary and secondary education, to ensure excellent performance in external examinations.

    The registrar hailed the government for supporting the council.

  • NECO to introduce CBT in subsequent exams – Board

    NECO to introduce CBT in subsequent exams – Board

    The National Examination Council (NECO) will introduce Computer-Based Test (CBT) in objective papers of its subsequent examinations, says Dr Paddy Njoku, the Chairman, NECO Governing Board.

    Njoku made this known on Thursday in Abuja during the board’s monitoring visit to the Model Secondary School, Maitama, centre of NECO Senior Secondary School Certificate Examination.

    He said he was impressed with the progress of the examination as students and teachers conducted themselves well.

    The chairman said that the visit was informed by the fact that today’s paper — Mathematics — was compulsory for all the students.

    “We will introduce CBT in papers that need computer in the next exams, but some other subjects are either practical or essay; so you cannot put everything under CBT.

    “Mathematics is compulsory; so the hall will be full; that is why we decided to inspect them today.

    “We do about four levels of monitoring; we have invigilators’ supervisors, security men and external monitors drawn from institutions of higher learning, who independently, monitor without getting involved in the administration of the examination.

    “The board comes out to monitor and get direct assessment of the situation so that nobody tells stories and all these we do to ensure very strict control of our examination.’’

    Njoku said that reports from all over the country indicated that the examination was going on fine.

    He said the performance of students in the examination had improved over the last two years based on students who made five credits, including Mathematics and English.

    According to him, the performance will continue to improve “since the rot created over the years will take some time to fix”.

    He blamed dwindling performance of students on the quality of teachers, adding that efforts were being made to address the problem.

    “ If we do not get the correct materials to teach the students in terms of teacher quality, we do not expect the students to do wonders.

    “We are trying to encourage, in our own way; the authorities to make sure that teachers are properly motivated to produce good students.

    “We have to look at the quality and commitment of teachers and to make sure they are properly trained.

    “It is something that should be done in conjunction with other stakeholders,’’ he said.

    On his part, NECO Registrar, Prof. Abdulrashid Garba, said that in 2016, all objective examinations of the body would be CBT.

    He said he had been visiting schools in various states, adding that the visit to Model Secondary School, Maitama, was the Board’s monitoring.

    “ In the schools visited so far, we have not seen anything that can cause disturbance; it has been complete compliance with the rules of the examination.

    “All centres in Nigeria have been adequately secured; in special areas like Borno, Yobe and Adamawa states, extra security measure have also been taken.’’

    Garba said that 975, 991 students were taking the examination nationwide.

    According to him, the results will be released 60 days from the date of the last paper which comes up on July 10

  • NECO gets new Registrar

    NECO gets new Registrar

    The new Registrar and Chief Executive Officer of National Examinations Council (NECO), Professor Abdulrasheed Garba yesterday assumed office in Minna.

    He succeeds Professor Monday Thommy Joshua who spent only 50 days as registrar.

    The new helmsman assured staff to build on the legacies of his predecessor and promised to operate an open door policy with fairness to all, while he said freedom of association will be encouraged.

    Garba who appealed for maximum support, understanding and cooperation for the success of the council in the years to come said staff welfare will be given priority attention.

    The NECO boss vowed to maintain the credibility and mandate of NECO adding that the era of marginalisation was over as equal opportunity was assured.

    “My predecessor built a big NECO family  and brought harmony, I promise to build upon it and take the council to the next level,” he said

    Earlier, the former Registrar, Professor Joshua who received cheers from staff said, “I am leaving NECO as a very happy man. We are able to run NECO harmoniously with a policy of fairness and inclusiveness.”

    He urged the work force to extend same support and cooperation he enjoyed to his successor because they stood by him and believed in him throughout his stay in NECO therefore appealed the hands of fellowship in multiple to his successor.

    Garba, is a professor of guidance and counseling, he was also a special adviser to Minister of Education, Mallam Ibrahim Shekarau while the former registrar moves to the National Commission for Collages of Education as its Executive Secretary.

  • NECO host communities disown rejection of new registrar

    Groups from the host communities of the National Examinations Council (NECO) headquarters in Minna, Niger State, have dissociated themselves from the purported rejection of the appointment of Prof Monday Joshua as the new Registrar/Chief Executive of the council.

    A delegation from the host community, Gidan Mangoro, and another group from Minna paid a solidarity visit to the new Registrar on Monday and assured him they were not averse to his appointment.

    The visit came on the heels of a protest last week by the Niger State chapter of Nigerian Youth Congress (NYC) that opposed the appointment of non-indigenes as NECO chiefs.

    Mallam Ahmed Adamu, spokesperson for Gidan Mangoro Community said the community has nothing against the new registrar.

    He pledged their cooperation and solicited for assistance in the area of employment for the unemployed in the community.

    Similarly, leader of the other group, Alhaji Danladi Maikaza said that they were more concerned with being given a fair share in appointments than bickering over who heads the council, bearing in mind that NECO is a national institution.

    The groups pledged their unalloyed support to the new registrar and wished him God’s guidance in the discharge of his duties.

    Responding, Joshua said that, before he arrived Minna, he was told that the people of Niger state are hospitable.

    He maintained that hosting NECO should be seen as a privilege and that the host community should protect it with all zeal.

    Joshua reminded them that they have a responsibility to protect NECO- its physical structures and personnel, especially as the examining body has no doubt stimulated economic activities.

  • Niger youths protest appointment of NECO registrar

    Niger youths protest appointment of NECO registrar

    The succession crisis at the National Examinations Council (NECO) worsened yesterday when a group of youths, under the aegis of Niger State chapter  of the Nigerian Youth Congress (NYC), stormed the headquarters of the examination body demanding the appointment of an indigene as its Chief Executive Officer (CEO).

    Led by Comrade Mustapha Tijani, the state chairman of the congress, the placard-carrying youths urged President Goodluck Jonathan to entrust the leadership of the council to a qualified professor from the state.

    Tijani, who addressed reporters in Minna, the state capital, noted that despite a peaceful working environment the residents had created since the inception of the defunct National Board for Education Measurement, which transformed to NECO, the Federal Government has not considered appointing the chief executive of the council from the state.

    “It is sad that with the array of qualified professors from this state, the Federal Government has not deemed it fit to appoint NECO’s Registrar and Chief Executive from the state. Prof. Dibu Ojerinde served as pioneer Registrar, followed by Prof. Promise Okpala.

    “We were informed that the Secretary to the Federal Government, Senator Anyim Pius Anyim, brought his brother from Akwa Ibom at the expense of qualified candidates from the host community. We equally learnt that the Minister of Education, Malam Ibrahim Shekarau, is pushing for another person, Prof. Abdulrasheed Garba, from Bayero University, Kano.”

    The youth leader alleged that the cold war the appointment generated between Anyim and the minister had forced the newly announced Registrar, Prof. Monday Tommy Joshua, who reported for work last week, to return to the University of Calabar.

    On why the youth were pushing for an indigene, Tijani said: “We have many qualified professors. We appeal to the Federal Government to entrust us with the leadership of the council. It is sad that our people are only given junior positions. Most of the senior workers are not from here and we never complained.

  • NECO workers fault Registrar’s appointment

    The Academic Staff Union of Research and Allied Institute (ASURI) has faulted the appointment of Prof Monday Tommy Joshua as the new Registrar and Chief Executive Officer for National Examination Council (NECO).

    The protest of NECO chapter of the union was contained in a letter signed by its chairman, Comrade Agwu Arisa, and addressed to the Minister of Education, a copy which was made available to journalists in Minna.

    The letter reads, “For the avoidance of doubt, may we remind you that since the inception of our institution (hereinafter refereed to simply as “NECO”), there has been two Registrars/Chief Executive Officers to wit: Prof Dibu Ojerinde who was the pioneering Registrar, from the Southwest region of Nigeria, and after serving out full his full term the out-going Registrar, Prof Promise Okpala, from the Southeast region of Nigeria was thereafter appointed, who has now not only served out his term, but enjoyed a period of extension of tenure without due process being complied with.

    “In the present circumstances, and bearing the principle of federal character, it would only be fair and reasonable to expect that the next appointed to the office of registrar should come from the northern zone of the country.

    “The union has been reliably informed that one Prof Monday Tommy Joshua who is now being considered for appointment as the next Registrar, is not only not from the northern zone of Nigeria, he was never recommended by the Honourable Minister to the President for such appointment”.

  • NECO gets new registrar

    President Goodluck Jonathan has approved the appointment of Prof. Monday Tommy Joshua as the registrar of National Examinations Council (NECO).

    A statement from NECO and made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) yesterday in Abuja, said the appointment took effect from March 30.

    The statement by the council’s Head, Information Division, Mr. Azeez Sani, said the appointment was sequel to the expiration of the tenure of Prof. Promise Okpala, who served for eight years.

    It said the appointment letter dated April 2, was signed by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator Anyim Pius Anyim.

    “Until his appointment, Prof. Joshua has been a Professor of Educational Research, Measurement and Evaluation in the Faculty of Education, University of Calabar.

    “The NECO helmsman is widely published and has authored over 100 publications in many National and International Journals.

    “Professor Joshua has been a consultant to many professional bodies, including International Association of Educational Assessment (IAEA) and Association of Assessment in Africa (AEAA),’’ the statement said.

    According to the statement, the new Registrar has been a regular monitor of NECO and JAMB administered examinations

  • NECO fixes 2015 common entrance for April 25

    The 2015 National Common Entrance Examinations into secondary schools scheduled for March 21 has been postponed till April 25, the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports.

    Mr. Abdul Mustapha, the Abuja Liaison Officer of the National Examination Council (NECO) disclosed this in an interview with NAN on Thursday in Abuja.

    Mustapha said that postponement was necessitated by the anxieties of parents ahead of the general elections rescheduled to hold on March 28 and April 11.

    According to him, registration for the examination will continue until April 18.

    ”The idea of postponement was brought by the ministry and after consultations with the council, we decided to shift it.

    ”There are some concerns as to whether parents will leave their children in schools with the uncertainties ahead of the elections.

    ” Mustapha said it would be better to write the exam in a relaxed atmosphere after the elections.

    A parent, Mrs. Bridget Emoha, told NAN the postponement was a welcome development as parents would like to have their wards at home during the election period.

    “This is a good move from NECO; the extension of registration will enable candidates who had not registered to do so before the new date,’’ Emoha said.

    Another parent, Mr. Benjamin Ikpegbu, said the candidates for common entrance were still very young children who should not write examination in a tensed atmosphere.

    According to him, the general situation of things in the country will be calmer and more conducive for examinations after the elections.

  • Crisis hits NECO

    All is not well at the National Examinations Council (NECO).  Members of the Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU) are up in arms against the Registrar, Prof Promise Okpala, over his alleged refusal to comply with Education Minister Ibrahim Shekarau’s directive to go on terminal leave, reports JIDE ORINTUNSIN from Minna.

    Can a minister exercise control over heads of agencies under his ministry? This is a puzzle the president may have to unravel following the muscle flexing between Education Minister Mallam Ibrahim Shekarau and National Examinations Council (NECO) Registrar/Chief Executive Officer Porf Promise Okpala. Shekarau asked Okpala to proceed on terminal leave, but he allegedly refused to comply.

    In a January 23 letter signed by Dr. M.B Umar, acting Permanent Secretary Federal Ministry of Education, Shekarau directed Okpala to go on pre-retirement leave since his tenure lapses on April 9.

    The letter reads: “I am directed to inform you that the Minister of Education has directed that you should handover the management of the affairs of your office to Dr. James Ojebode, Director Finance, who is the most senior officer in your organisation.

    “Consequently, you are to proceed on your pre-retirement leave which took effect from January 12, 2015 or your accumulated and unspent leave in the course of the service.

    But, in a two-page letter to the Minister, copies of which were sent to the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Senator Anyim Pius Anyim, Minister of State for Education, and Chairman, Governing Board of NECO, Okpala  said only President Goodluck Jonathan, who appointed him, could give such directives.

    The letter reads: “You will recall that I am a political appointee of Mr. President in the federal bureaucracy and not a career civil servant that rose through the rank-and-file of the Civil Service structure. I received my appointment from Mr. President based on nomination and neither on seniority nor by passing any examination that requires skills related to my job as Registrar/CEO of NECO in the federal Ministry of Education.

    “Based on the extant letter of my appointment signed by the SGF, my tenure as Chief Executive Officer of NECO is expected to lapse on the 9th of April, 2015. It is expected that matters relating to my appointment and re-appointment should follow the right administrative channel of Mr. President through the office of SGF”.

    Okpala also faulted the directive to hand over to Ojebode, saying he is not the most senior director in the council.

    The Registrar said: “The most senior officer in the organisation is Mr John Asuwe, the Director, Human Resources Management.”

    Following Okpala’s letter, Anyim wrote to Shekarau that the Registrar should remain in office except otherwise directed by President Jonathan.

    In the January 27 letter, Anyim argued Shekarau to withdraw his letter to Okpala.

    He said: “The term of office of the Registrar expires on the 8th of April, 2015. Prior to that date, he is not subject to removal from office on any account except by Mr. President at whose discretion the Registrar holds office.”

    A January 28 letter from Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Education Dr MacJohn Nwaobiala has asked Okpala to remain in office.

    The letter addressed to the Chairman, NECO Governing Council and titled: Re: Handing over the management of the National Examination Council, reads: “…You are to put on-hold the contents therein of our earlier letter Reference No. PRT/ABJ/OP/10/248 dated 23rd January, 2015 directing the Registrar/Chief Executive to hand over the management and affairs of National Examination NECO. Thus the status quo ante should be maintained.”

    But NECO’s Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institution (NASU) is not happy with the development. The union regards Okpala’s refusal to go on leave as an affront to the Minister.

    The union insists that the minister has the power to direct Okpala to proceed on leave.

    Two weeks ago, the union called a press conference to pressure the registrar to obey the minister.

    At the briefing, held at NECO’s Conference Hall NASU chairman Comrade Abdulrasheed Rabana faulted Okpala’s refusal to comply with the directive.

    In an interview with The Nation on Monday, Rabana said the Minister acted according to the Act establishing NECO.  He argued that  Part VI section 28 (1) of the Act states “The Council may, with the approval of the Minister, make regulations generally for the carrying into effect of the provisions of this Act and without prejudice to the generality of the foregoing…”

    Rabana cited Section 100238 of the Public Service rule which he said stipulated “a public office holder should go on disengagement/pre-retirement leave of three months”.

    He wondered why Okpala, who was suspended in 2008 on the orders of the then Minister of Education, Dr. Sam Egwu, for six months is now turning around to place himself above the current Minister.

    Rabana asked: “Why is it that a Minister now cannot give directive to go on disengagement leave?”

    But Okapala is insisting on remaining in office until his tenure lapses.

    “I will work till my last day here, and then I will hand over the baton to the next person. I have less than two months from now, I don’t know why all these are coming up now. I am in support of unionism, I am a grand patron of NECO NASU but it is not all their demands that I will bow to,” he said.

    There is a twist in the tale. Ojebode, who the minister asked to take over from Okpala, is now refusing to obey his boss.

    Last Wednesday, Ojebode was absent at a press conference to announce the release of the 2014 November/December Senior Secondary School Certificate Examination for external candidates.

    On Monday, he was also absent from a management meeting called by Okpala.

    Even when the Registrar addressed a press conference on Tuesday only three of the five directors – Asuwe, Abubakar Gana, director of examination administration, and Ebikibina Ogborodi, director of examination development were present.  While Dr. Ikechukwu Anyanwu, director quality assurance was said to be away on official assignment, Ojebode was absent.

    On Tuesday, The Nation gathered that Ojebode has petitioned the Minister, accusing Okpala of flouting the directive to hand over to him.

    Efforts to get Ojebode to comment failed as he refused to pick calls or reply text messages.

    Shekarau, also refused comment on the matter on Monday.

    Shekarau told our correspondent: “It is an administrative issue. I will not say more than that.”

    The three directors present at Tuesday’s meeting are supporting Okpala.

    Asuwe, who claimed to be the most senior director in the council said that he had called the attention of the Minister to the fact that he is the most senior of all the directors.

    He said: “As the most senior director, I drew the attention of the Minister to that as I was appointed director on January 1, 2012, while three others had their appointment in 2014, while the last director is in acting capacity.

    “We had a management meeting yesterday (Monday) and all the directors pledged our support to the registrar, Prof Promise Okpala. There is no crisis in NECO. You can see that everybody is going after his or her work without any molestation.”

    Ogborodi said: “In Abuja where we had an enlarged management meeting, all the directors pledged their loyalty and acknowledged Prof. Promise Okpala as our registrar and chief executive.”

    Gana said: “We all came back from Abuja with the aim of working together. We don’t know or have a acting registrar”.

    But a source, who spoke in confidence, said the struggle for power in the council was a product of betrayal and back stabbing.

    “The Registrar and Baba Ojebode were until now the best of friends. They travelled together and did things together. What we are witnessing now is good because there is a lot of rot in this council.

    “It will be wrong if anybody says there is no crisis. The registrar had done things with impunity and now that he is about to go, those who are against him now want their pound of flesh. NECO has never been this polarised,” the source noted.

    Armed policemen are now stationed at NECO’s entrance in Minna the Niger State Capital.

     

    •Additional report by Gbenga Omokhunu.

     

  • NECO records 31 per cent pass in Nov/Dec SSCE

    NECO records 31 per cent pass in Nov/Dec SSCE

    THE National Examinations Council (NECO) yesterday released the results of the 2014 Senior Secondary School Certificate Examination (SSCE) for external candidates.

       About 30.57 per cent of the candidates passed the examination with credits in five major subjects, including mathematics and English Language.

    Its Registrar and Chief Executive Officer, Prof. Promise Okpala, who announced the result at the council headquarters in Minna, the Niger State capital, said the result was an improvement on 2013 result of 28.62 per cent credit pass in five subjects and above.

    Okpala stressed that only 61,386 candidates of 63,445 that registered for the examination sat for it.

    A breakdown of the result showed that 59,996 of 63,445 (about 52.39 per cent) scored credit pass in English Language while 29,568 of 59,262 (49.8 per cent) got credit pass in Mathematics.

    In Economics, 53.01 per cent candidates made credits while 51.62 per cent of candidates that sat for Chemistry also had credits. In Biology, 50.04 per cent of the candidates made credit grades.

    The registrar, however, said there have been improvements in external SSCE results in the last four years.

    He put malpractices level at about one per cent, adding that 620 candidates were involved in malpractice cases at the national level.

    He ascribed the low level of malpractice as an “eloquent testimony of the painstaking efforts the council consistently made to eradicate examination malpractices.”