John Adams, Minna
The Registrar and Chief Executive of the National Examinations Council (NECO), Professor Godswill Obioma has expressed satisfaction with measures put in place by Schools for the observance of COVID-19 guidelines as the Basic Education Certificate Examinations (BECE) began across the country today.
The Registrar who spoke in Minna on Monday shortly after monitoring the conduct of the Examinations in some selected schools in the state, said schools have so far complied with the COVID 19 guidelines for the conduct of the Examinations.
The schools visited by the Registrar include Maryam Ibrahim Babangida owned El-Amin International School, Federal Government College and Police Secondary School, all in Minna.
“I am quite impressed with measures put in place by schools for the observance of the guidelines for the COVID 19. The Students are with their face mask and the mandatory two meter distancing in the sitting arrangements, there is running water at every entry points to the classes and hand sanitizer.
“The schools have complied very well with the guidelines from what I have seen this morning from the few schools that I have visited and it is highly commendable. Students temperatures were taken before they are allowed into the Examinations halls”.
Professor Obioma pointed that all Examinations monitors have been trained and directed to ensure that all the guidelines are observed and where there are infractions, it will be corrected because according to him, “what we are doing is prognostic monitoring where we nip in the board any infraction in observing the COVID 19 protocols and we correct them at the spot”.
He however warned that any that completely disregards the COVID 19 guidelines will be sanction by the Examinations body “we will not want to put the life of any child in danger as far as the conduct of our Examinations are concerned”.
The NECO Boss disclosed that a total of 138,550 students are sitting for the BECE which its registration officially closed on Friday last week, stressing that whatever challenges that is being observed during the conduct of the ongoing Basic Education Certificate Examinations will be corrected during the school based SSCE slated for October later in the year.
The Registrar disclosed that in order to ensure that the Examinations are conducted in an environment that is safe for candidates and officials, as well as other stakeholders, NECO had earlier prepared a manual on guideline for preparation for schools for conduct of public examinations in the context of COVID 19.
These guidelines, he pointed out, covers roles of responsibilities and expectations of various stakeholders which includes, schools proprietors, schools principals and mangers, parents and guardians, examination candidates, supervisors and invigilators.