Gabriel Dike
The National Examinations Council (NECO) ON Wednesday reacted to complaints by some schools whose candidates are unable to sit for the on-going Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) that commenced on Monday, August 24th, 2020.
In a statement signed by NECO Head of Information and Public Relations, Mr. Azeez Sani stated that adequate opportunity was provided well in advance for all schools to register their candidates.
“This was given that some schools and/or candidates may have faced difficulties in the course of the registrations. Due largely to this and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the council extended the duration for registration to 12 midnight on Friday, August 21st, 2020. The extension was widely publicized through various platforms. The aim was largely to accommodate late registration.
“It is regrettable that despite these measures, some schools failed to complete the registration or enrollment processes. It is therefore instructive to restate that the closure of the portal on the said date was not punitive or designed to undermine registrants and schools. It was however to allow the council produce and distribute materials to examination centers for seamless conduct of the exercise.
The council assured the public of its commitment to effective and efficient conduct of all examinations within its statutory mandates, stating in this regard, it will continue to engage all stakeholders as may be appropriate.’’