The Nation Newspaper

Tag: NECO

  • We didn’t see Adeleke in exam hall, NECO supervisors tell court

    A Federal High Court in Abuja heard yesterday that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate in last year’s Osun State governorship election, Senator Ademola Adeleke, did not sit for the National Examination Council (NECO) examinations in 2017.

    It was at the resumed proceedings of the trial of the Ede-born senator and four others for their alleged involvement in examination malpractices.

    The prosecution called two witnesses – Emmanuel Odesola and Adigun Akintayo – who said they acted as supervisor and invigilator during the June/July 2017 NECO examination in Ojo-Aro Community Grammar School, Ojo-Aro, Osun State.

    Odesola (a teacher, who was a supervisor during the examination) and Akintayo (a teacher and invigilator)  said they only saw Sikiru Adeleke (the Senator’s brother), who is listed as the 2nd respondent, in the examination hall.

    The witnesses also said they did not experience malpractices.

    They said of the five defendants, they only saw the second defendant (Sikiru Adeleke), the principal and registrar of Ojo-Aro Community Grammar School during the examination.

    Senator Adeleke, Sikiru Adeleke (who is said to be the senator’s relative), Alhaji Aregbesola Mufutau (the school principal), Gbadamosi Thomas Ojo (registrar) and Dare Samuel Olutope (teacher) were arraigned in November last year.

    REad also: ‘Osun deserves better than Adeleke’

    The five were arraigned on a charge marked: FHC/ABJ/CR/156/2018, filed in the name of the Inspector General of Police (IGP).

    Ademola and Sikiru were accused of fraudulently, through impersonation, registering as students of Ojo-Aro Community Grammar School, Ojo-Aro, Osun State to enable them sit for the National Examinations Council (NECO) examination of June/July 2017.

    The other three defendants were accused of aiding the commission of the alleged offence.

    Testifying yesterday as the third prosecution witness, Odesola said he teaches at Akode Middle High School, Akoda, Ede, but served as supervisor during the 2017 examination.

    He admitted knowing the Adeleke and three other defendants, except Olutope, who he said he only met for the first time in court.

    Odesola said although he was in the school for the first time, the school authorities failed to provide him with the school album to enable him match the students’ faces with their names.

    He said it was the school’s registrar that identified the students before they were allowed into the examination hall.

    Odesola said he saw some four elderly men in the exam hall on the day of the Economics examination, but that he could not confront them because they had the school identity cards.

    The witness said although that was his first day in the school, he did not see the senator in the exam hall.

    He added that, although he could not identify who among those in the examination hall were actual students of the school, the principal and registrar of the school confirmed that they were all students, who were issued the school’s identity card.

    He said although 60 students were scheduled to write the examination, two were absent on the day the Economics examination was written.

    Odesola added: “I observed that there were some elderly people in the examination hall. They were about four of them.”

    Prosecution lawyer Simon Lough later tender, through Odesola, some documents, including one answer sheet, numbered 057, with the name: Ademola Adeleke written on it.

    Under cross-examination by lawyers to the defendants, among whom were Alex Izinyon (SAN), and Nathaniel Oke (SAN), the witness said he did not know the hand writing of the defendants and could not tell who wrote on the examination sheet tendered in court.

    The witness said it was not easy to ascertain if somebody was old by mere looking at his face.

    Odesola said he could not see the four elderly people, who he saw in the examination hall, in court yesterday.

    The witness, who said he screened the students with the assistance of officials of the school, before they were allowed into the examination hall, said: “The students are supposed to have identity cards, with their pictures, and signed by the school principal.”

    Akintayo, in his evidence-in-chief, said that while he was distributing question papers, “I saw a candidate that was more matured. He was Sikiru Adeleke.

    “I asked him for his identity card, and he showed me one that was issued by the school and signed by the principal.

    “As a school teacher, I could not ask him to leave the hall or query him any further.”

    On whether he saw all the defendants in the examination hall, the witness said: “I only saw the registrar. Outside that, I did not see the others.

    “When the examination was in progress, a woman, who was the examination supervisor, Mrs. Kusamotu Fumilayo (PW2) was surprised to see Sikiru Adeleke in the hall.

    “She asked for his identity card, which he brought out. She was not satisfied. She sat beside him for some minutes and later left.”

    Akintayo said, apart from Sikiru Adeleke, he did not see any of the other defendants in the examination hall.

    Under cross-examination, Akintayo said he made a statement to the police at the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) in Osogb on October 8, 2018.

    The witness said it was at the police station that the police showed him the first defendant’s scores in the examination.

    Akitayo said he did not see the 1st defendant on that day of the examination. He added that it is strange for NECO to award marks to a student who did not write an examination.

    He said external candidates do not write the June/July NECO examinations because it is meant for and always written by students of the school.

    On further cross-examination, Akintayo said it is NECO that issues numbers to students who sits for its examination.

    The witness said he did not check whether Sikiru Adeleke has examination number allocated to him by NECO.

    Akintayo said there was no incident of malpractices during the examination, but insisted that Sikiru Adeleke “was the most matured students on the examination hall.”

    On whether they were issued certain guidelines, the witness said: “The only instruction given to us was that anybody with school ID card should be allowed to write the exam.”

    At the conclusion of Akintayo’s testimony, Lough told the court to vacate the hearing scheduled for Thursday (today) on the grounds that he would be before the Supreme Court.

    Lawyers to the defendants did not object to the prosecution lawyer’s application, following which Justice Inyang Ekwo adjourned to June 10 and 11 for continuation of trial.

    Justice Ekwo warned the prosecution to keep to the days given by the court.

  • NECO may not require allocation from FG soon, says Registrar

    Acting Registrar, National Examinations Council (NECO), Abubakar Gana, has said the council could be self-sufficient without allocation from the Federation Account because of the prudent way the council is managing its resources.

    Gana, disclosed this during the agency’s budget defense before the Senate Committee on Basic Education in Abuja.

    The registrar, in a statement Thursday, called for the support of the Senate to achieve the self-sufficiency target of the agency.

    The Registrar expressed commitment to deepen the gains recorded within his stint in office, stating that the agency under his supervision was poised to take its place as a transparent body.

    He disclosed that the council also returned about N1 billion to the nation’s Consolidated Revenue Account as operational surplus from its internally generated revenue (IGR).

    READ ALSO: NECO, NSCDC collaborate on exam malpractice

    The NECO boss expressed his desire to firm up the reforms being carried out in the agency, adding that the 2019 budget of the agency as presented to the National Assembly will be judiciously implemented.

    The Chairman of the committee, Sen. Aliyu Wamako, commended the agency for effectively deploying and utilising resources allocated to it for the conduct of examinations across the country.

    Wamako disclosed that in the 2018 budget, the leadership of NECO returned about N90 million unused overhead allocations into the consolidated account.

    While stating that NECO was borrowing a lift from the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, JAMB, by prudently managing its resources, the Senator expressed confidence in the agency to further apply its 2019 appropriation to reasonable use.

  • 12,084 malpractice cases recorded in Nov/Dec exams – NECO

    The National Examination Council (NECO) has released the results of the 2018 November/December Senior School Certificate Examination (SSCE) recording 12,084 malpractice cases.

    The Acting Registrar, Abubakar Mohammed Gana while announcing the release of the result at NECO headquarters in Minna said there is an upward trend of candidates involvement in various examination malpractice offences in 2018 when compared to 2017.

    Top among the malpractice cases include aiding and abetting, seeking and receiving help from non-candidates where 6,034 cases were recorded and impersonation where 1,735 cases were recorded.

    Mathematics with 1,967 and English language with 1,756 recorded the highest number of malpractice cases.

    The Acting Registrar said that the increase in candidates’ involvement in various examination malpractice offences reflects the desperation by candidates to cut corners.

    “This also shows the determination by the Council to apprehend the culprits, in line with our zero tolerance for examination malpractice.”

    Gana further said that 37,069 candidates out of 59,963 students representing 62.48 per cent who registered for the examination got five Credits and above including English language and Mathematics.

    He added that 47,031 candidates representing 79.27 per cent got five credits and above irrespective of English Language and Mathematics.

    “A total of 28 subjects were examined, the number of candidates that sat for English Language is 57,842 out of which 44,497 representing 79.93 per cent got either Distinction or Credit while 57,275 sat for Mathematics out of which 47,151 representing 82.32 for either Distinction or Credit.

    “A comparative analysis of candidates who scored five credits and above including English Language and Mathematics for 2017 and 2018 shows 56.79 per cent for 2017 and 62.48 per cent for 2018. This represents an increase of 5.69 per cent in 2018.”

    Gana further enjoined candidates to note that result checker cards will no longer be used to check their results online urging them to log to the Council website and follow the prompt which will enable them purchase a token that will be used to access their results.

  • Breaking: NECO releases Nov/DEC 2018 results

    The National Examinations Council, ( NECO ), has released the result of the 2018 November/December Senior School Certificate Examination (SSCE) for external candidates.

    The Acting Registrar, NECO, Mr Abubakar Gana, disclosed this in a statement in Abuja on Friday.

    According to Gana, 59,963 candidates registered for the examination and were examined in about 28 subject areas.

    He noted that a total of 37,069 candidates representing 62.48 per cent got five credits and above including English, while 47,031 candidates, representing 79.27 per cent got five credits and above, including Mathematics.

    While giving further breakdown of the performance of candidates, he said that 57,842 sat for English Language out of which 44,497, representing 76.93 got either distinction or credit.

    He added that 57,275 sat for Mathematics, out of which 47,151 representing 82.32 per cent got either distinction or credit.

    “A comparative analysis of candidates, who scored five credits and above, including English Language and Mathematics for 2017 and 2018 shows 56.79 per cent for 2017 and 62.48 per cent for 2018.

    “This represents an increase of 5.69 per cent,” he said.

    On irregularities during the exercise, Gana said that there was an upward trend in candidates’ involvement in examinations malpractice as compared to 2017.

    According to him, a total of 12,084 candidates were caught cheating as against 4,425 in 2017.

    He said the increase in cases of exam malpractice reflects the desperation by candidates seeking to cut corners and the determination of the council to apprehend culprits in line with its zero tolerance for examination malpractice.

    Read Also: FG slashes JAMB, NECO, SSCE exams fees

    He noted that candidates cheated more in mathematics, English language, Biology and Economics subject areas because those subjects seem to pose problems for candidates.

    Gana, however, enjoined candidates to note that result checker cards would no longer be used to check results.

    He urged all the candidates that participated in the examination to log on to the council’s website-www.neco.gov.ng and click on NECO results to purchase a token that could be used to access their results.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the November/December SSCE is usually conducted for external candidates unlike the June/July SSCE, which is mainly conducted for school based candidates.

  • JAMB, NECO ‘ve shown that anti-graft war is working, say CSOs

    THE activities of the National Examinations Council (NECO) and the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board have shown that the anti-graft war of President Muhammadu Buhari is working, a coalition of civil society organisations, under the umbrella of Concerned Civil Society Groups for Educational Development, said yesterday.

    The CSOs said the successes recorded by the two government agencies in blocking financial wastage at NECO and JAMB had dispelled such doubts.

    Co-convener of the group, Danesi Momoh, in a statement in Abuja, said the anti-corruption stance of the two examination bodies has led to remittances of several billions of naira into the Federal Government coffers.

    He hailed NECO, Acting Registrar Mr. Abubakar Gana, for blocking the loopholes through which the agency’s funds were looted in the past.

    Momoh said the NECO registrar has made procurement processes more transparent with significant reduction in procurement costs, thereby liberating more funds for the agency.

    He said: “If there was any flicker of doubt about the fight against corruption by the Buhari-led administration, the twin successes recorded in crushing corruption and financial wastage at NECO and JAMB dispels such doubts.

    “Surely, the government is out to ease the plight of Nigerians and these model cases show us how the war against corruption can have a positive direct bearing on all citizens.”

    He hailed the Federal Government for reducing NECO and JAMB fees, adding that the gesture would make higher education attractive for the common man.

    Momoh said the feat was made possible because of the prudent steps taken by Minister of Education Adamu Adamu that has ensured transparency and good management of resources of government agencies under the Ministry of Education.

  • Mixed reactions trail FG’s reduction of JAMB, NECO fees

    Mixed reactions have trailed the Federal Government’s review of fees for the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), Senior Secondary Certificate Examination(SSCE) and Basic Education Certificate Examination(BECE).

    Some stakeholders, who spoke to the News Agency of Nigeria in Abuja on Thursday, commended the gesture and urged the government to overhaul the education sector.

    The Federal Executive Council (FEC) on Wednesday approved the downward review of the examination registration fees which will take effect from January 2019.

    The Minister of Education, Malam Adamu Adamu who announced the reduction after the FEC’s meeting said ‎Joint Admission Matriculation Board (JAMB) fees for UTME had been reduced from N5,000 to N3,500.

    Adamu said government also reduced the SSCE fees charged by the National Examinations Council (NECO) from N11,350 to N9,850 while the Basic School Certificate Examination (BSCE) by NECO was reduced from N5,500 to N4,000.

    An entrepreneur, Mr Sunday Ukachukwu, described the action as a `good step’ in the right direction.

    “I give the Federal government credit for the downward review, but I think they can still do better because the reduction is not so significant.

    “If they reviewed the fees by 50 per cent, the reduction would have been significant, but what you have is 13 per cent reduction,’’ he said.

    A Public Affairs Analyst, Mr Ben Ekiyi, commended the Federal Government for the reduction saying that it would ensure inclusiveness among other things.

    “ ‎It is a good thing because any reduction in prices of goods or services always makes the masses happy, especially in these times where many people are facing a lot of hardship. ‎

    “I feel this reduction will ensure inclusiveness as more students will now be able to write these examinations.

    Read Also: Fed Govt okays reduction in cost of JAMB, NECO forms

    “Since more students will now be able to write the examinations, hidden potentials will be exposed, because we have some intelligent students who have not been able to afford the examination fees,’’ he said.

    A parent, ‎Mrs Lelo Apena, said the reduction of fees was a diversion from the real issues plaguing the education sector, such as poor quality of education, dilapidated infrastructure and out- of- school children.

    According to her, this kind of reduction does not make any sense; N1,500 difference will not solve the problems bedeviling the education in Nigeria.

    ‎“ I tell you, reduction in these fees is a kind of diversion from the real issue; has the government thought of reducing tuition fees so that those who are qualified will be enrolled and do not drop out for lack of fees.

    “Our tertiary institutions always on strike; is it the reduction of JAMB fees and NECO that will solve the poor quality of students and lecturer impact?

    “Are the out-of -school children and their parents and guardians being helped to ensure their children are enrolled in school and not drop out before completion for various reasons?‎’’ she queried.

    Apena was of the opinion that states government should take over the payment of JAMB and NECO fees for poor students in their communities‎.
    ‎

    A retiree, Ms Ruseh Okaro, who also spoke to reporters , said the reduction was a welcome development, however, she said ‎ the quality of education was still a major cause of concern.
    ‎

    “ It is a welcome development but I do not think the fees should have been as high as that in the first place, given the importance of education to the wellbeing of a nation.
    ‎
    “ I also hope this reduction is sustainable and a holistic approach was used to arrive at these new fees”.
    ‎
    ‎A parent, Mr Shittu Ahmed, said the reduction was commendable, however, government should look into other areas of the sector such as dilapidated infrastructure and lack of learning materials.
    ‎
    A public servant,Mrs Folakemi Aina, said the reduction in the fees was long overdue and wondered why government was coming out with a lot of policies now that elections were drawing closer.

  • NECO extends registration of 2018 SSCE

    The National Examinations Council (NECO) has announced an extension for the registration of the on-going 2018 November/December NECO Senior Secondary School Certificate Examination (SSCE).

    The Acting Registrar of NECO, Mr Abubakar Gana, disclosed this in a statement, on Tuesday in Abuja.

    Gana said applicants wishing to sit for the examination could still register as `walk-in* (late registration) candidates.’

    The Registrar said the extension became necessary because some of the candidates could not register at the expiration of registration deadline of November 17.

    He advised all the candidates who failed to meet the registration deadline to take advantage of the window provided by the management.

    The NECO boss urged candidates registering after the closing date to adhere to the guidelines of the registration process.

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    He, however, warned that such candidates must complete the registration within twenty-four hours to the scheduled time of examination for the subject(s) that they intended to sit for.

    Gana also advised those who wish to register as walk-in candidates to contact the nearest NECO State Office for full details on the registration procedure.

    It would be recalled that NECO had on Nov. 14 announced a change in its examination date from November 15 to November 19.

    NECO said the changes were necessary to ensure that no candidate missed the examination and for the council to ensure a successful conduct of its examinations.

  • NECO extends NOV/DEC registration for walk-in-candidates

    THE National Examinations Council (NECO) has announced an extension for applicants wishing to register as walk-in candidates for its November/ December 2018 Senior School Certificate Examination (SSCE).

    NECO is the first examination body in Africa to implement the walk – in candidate policy.

    Its Acting Registrar, Mr. Abubkar Gana, who stated this in a statement in Abuja, said the extension became necessary following the expiration of registration deadline on Saturday.

    Gana advised candidates who failed to meet the registration deadline to take advantage of the window of opportunity provided by the management and register for the examination as walk-in candidates.

    Read also: Improvement on our results sign of our reforms, says NECO

    The NECO boss, however, urged candidates registering after the closing date to adhere to guidelines governing the process, warning that such candidates must complete their registration within 24 hours to the scheduled time of the paper(s) that they intend to sit for.

    He noted that a nonrefundable fee of N20,000 would be paid per candidate as registration fee to NECO TSA and evidence of payment presented at the NECO state office.

    “Candidates are to collect activated registration scratch cards from NECO State Office. Biometrics enrolment is mandatory for this examination.

    The November/December SSCE began yesterday and will end on Wednesday 19th December 2018.

  • NECO shifts Nov/Dec SSCE exam to Nov 19

    THE National Examinations Council (NECO) has fixed November 19 as the new date for its Nov./Dec. 2018 Senior Secondary Certificate Examination (SSCE).

    The examination was earlier scheduled to begin on November 15.

    NECO’s acting Registrar Mr. Abubakar Gana made the announcement in a statement yesterday in Abuja.

    The statement reads: “Candidates are hereby requested to download the new examination timetable on the NECO website: http://www.mynecoexams.com and the e-mail used for the registration.

    “Please note that this information supersedes the earlier media publication on the commencement date for the examination date.

    “NECO expressed regrets over any inconveniences the change might have caused candidates.”

  • NGO provides educational support to girls in Kaduna

    A Kaduna-based Non-governmental Organisation (NGO), Empowering Women for Excellence Initiative (EWEI) says it will provide education subsidy to girls.

    It said that the subsidy would be given to the girls in public secondary schools to promote their retention and completion rate in Kaduna State.

    Miss Bilkisu Gwabin, EWEI’s Finance and Supplies Officer, made this known in Kaduna on Thursday, at the opening of a one-day Empowerment Seminar for 10 new beneficiaries.

    Gwabin explained that the support, under the NGO’s Educational Subsidy Programme (ESP), supported by Inti Raymi Fund, was designed to assist the students with fees, uniforms, and learning materials.

    According to her, the goal is to improve retention and completion rates of female students in public schools to enable them to acquire basic education and live a quality life in future.

    “The beneficiaries also benefit from EWEI’s empowerment seminar where young girls are equipped with productive life tips and income generating skills’’.

    Mr Babatunde Ajiga, EWEI’s Board of Trustee Secretary, explained that 13 girls had benefited from the programme from 2008 to 2017.

    According to him, 40 per cent of Nigerian children from six to 11 years of age are not in school, adding that EWEI’s programme was to support the education of intelligent girls from poor families.

    Mrs Grace Attah the NGO’s Programme Officer, Organisational Development and Learning, said that the beneficiaries were selected based on needs, ethnicity and religion.

    Attah explained that 10 new beneficiaries were selected to benefits in 2018, from Government Girls Secondary School, Doka, Government Secondary School, Television and Government Secondary School, Barnawa.

    Also speaking, Safiya Garba, the Founder and the programme Director of the NGO, commended the Kaduna State Government for taking steps to provide free education to girls in the state.

    “Although we do not know what it would cover and for how long, we nonetheless, want to ensure that we prepare secondary school girls and equip them with income generating skills to support their tertiary education.

    “We provide long term support to the girls up to the end of secondary school and provide additional six months life skills support as intern in EWEI, to develop their leadership capacity.

    “What we expect in return is for the girls to do well in school,” she said.

    Read Also: Bangladesh opens specialised institute to treat burn patients

    Garba called on parents of the beneficiaries for support to ensure that the girls’ study hard and grow up to be leaders in their homes, their communities and the nation at large.

    “Let’s work together to ensure they all finished secondary school and excel beyond.”

    Mr David McGrain of Inti Raymi Fund expressed joy that the fund had helped put a smile on young girls’ lives and pledged to do more.

    McGrain told the beneficiaries that they could do anything in life if they remained focus.

    One of the beneficiaries, 20-year old Jessica David, said she had been a beneficiary since 2014, describing the support as a life changer that had added value to her life.

    “Besides taking care of my educational financing and providing the needed learning materials, the NGO had equally equipped me with income generating skills which is helping me take care of my financial needs.

    “EWEI also enlightened me on my rights as a lady and how to set long term goals for a meaningful future, and thanks to them. I am soaring higher and higher to my goals,” David said.

    Another beneficiary, Mary Ayantokun, 19, said that EWEI paid her school fees from junior secondary school until she graduated from secondary school.

    “EWEI paid my fees for WAEC, NECO and Joint Admission and Matriculation Board examinations. I am so thankful to this life-changing support.

    “Not only that, I have learned several income generating skills like beads and cake making and other self -reliant skills that are helping me meet my financial needs.”