The National Examinations Council (NECO) has unveiled the timetable and guidelines for the conduct of its 2020 examinations for Senior Secondary 3 students.

The National Examinations Council (NECO) has unveiled the timetable and guidelines for the conduct of its 2020 examinations for Senior Secondary 3 students.

NECO Registrar/Chief Executive Officer, Professor Godswill Obioma disclosed this on Tuesday during a press conference at the Council’s Headquarters in Minna, the Niger State capital.

His briefing is tagged, “Making the Conduct Of Public Examinations Work in the COVID-19 Era.”

The NECO chief noted that the body has rolled out guidelines to enable schools prepare for conduct of the exams.

The guidelines include preparing examination centres and schools in compliance with COVID-19 protocols; decontamination of examination centres and schools; maintaining prescribed physical and social distancing protocols by candidates and examination officials.

Others include the provision of water and hand washing facilities, sanitizers and face masks by school proprietors, managers, parents and guardians as the case may be; as well as use of water, hand washing facilities, sanitizers and face masks by school proprietors, managers, parents/guardians, examination officials candidates and security officials.

On the number of candidates expected to write the examination, Professor Obioma said so far, only 169,144 students have registered for the Senior School Certificate Examination.

He also explained that 104,341 students and 80,110 pupils have so far registered for both the Basic Examination Certificate Examination (BECE) and the National Common Entrance Examination respectively.

This comes two weeks after the Federal Government released a comprehensive schedule for various national examinations for exit classes including Junior Secondary School (JSS) 3 and Senior Secondary School (SSS) 3.

The Minister of State for Education, Chukwuemeka Nwajuiba, who made the announcement on July 29 in Abuja after a series of meetings with chief executives of examination bodies in the country revealed that NECO examination will hold will start on October 5 and end on November 18.

According to him, the National Business and Technical Examination Board (NABTEB) examinations will start on September 21 and end on October 15.

“Other details of the schedule indicate that the Senior Secondary School Certificate Examinations, for SS3, conducted by NECO will start on October 5 and end on November 18, 2020,” he said.

He explained that the Basic Education Certificate Examinations (BECE) for JSS 3 students, also conducted by NECO, will start on August 24 and end on September 7.

2020 NECO exams start Oct 5, says FG

The Federal Government on Wednesday says this year ’ s Senior Secondary School Certificate Examinations for SSS 3 pupils organised by the National Examination Council will start October 5 and end November 18.

This was contained in a statement signed by the Director, Press and Public Relations, Federal Ministry of Education , Ben Goong .

In the statement titled , ‘ FG Rolls Out Schedule For National Examination’ , the ministry also said the National Business and Technical Examination Board examination would commence effective September 21 through October 15.

“ Registration for NECO ( SSCE) which is ongoing will end on the 10th of September 2020 and there shall be no extension for registration whatsoever, ” the statement noted .

The PUNCH had earlier reported that FG announced on Monday that this year ’ s West African Senior School Certificate Examination would commence on August 17.

Details later …

FG announces 2020 WASSCE, NABTEB AND NECO date

The Federal Government has announced date for the 2020 West African Senior School Certificate Examination.

The Minister of State for Education, Emeka Nwajiuba, stated this on Monday at a briefing by the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 in Abuja.

He said the examination will hold from August 4th to September 5th 2020.

Nwajiuba said, “From the 4th of August to the 5th of September. Parents please take note.

“Last week, the PTF chairman announced that school facilities will be available for those who want to go into revision classes.

“As soon as we conclude WAEC, we will take up the NABTEB and NECO exams.

“The idea is that we have a month from now till then. Those who can and those who are willing, the states who are willing should make their schools available for their children to revise.

“We’ve done the most we can to talk with our representatives at WAEC and this afternoon, we confirmed dates allotted for the exams will be from the 4th of August through to the 5th of September.

“Local timings will be published.

“From tomorrow, this is what we are taking into our concluding stakeholder meetings with NCDC, Nigerian Union of Teachers, everybody will be at the stakeholders meeting tomorrow and this date is what we are going to look at.

“We will be asking that those who are not prepared yet should please go and prepare.

“We are continuing with registration for NECO. For those who have not concluded registration along those lines, this is the time to update and get your registration done.”

PMB Has Approved The Termination Of The Appointment Of Prof Charles Uwakwe As The Registrar Of NECO and Three Members.

The President also dismissed four members of the management for various offences bordering on financial impropriety.

Prof. Charles Uwakwe had been suspended since May 2018 by the Federal Government over alleged financial mismanagement and abuse of office.

Mr Abubakar Gana was appointed as the acting Registrar.

Uwakwe and some top officials allegedly awarded contracts in the council to the tune of N25billion without following the due process.

NECO in a release on Wednesday confirmed that the suspended registrar had been relieved of his appointment by the President, while four members of the management had also been dismissed.

The President’s directive was conveyed in a letter, dated May 11, and signed by the Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Education, Sonny Echono, on behalf of the Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu, which said Uwakwe was accused of violating the Public Procurement Act (2007) and pursuant to PSR 030402 and Part 1 schedule 4 (i) of NECO Establishment Act.

Echono said, “After due consideration of the investigative panel on the allegation of unsatisfactory conduct levelled against you and some management staff of the council, Mr. President in exercise of his powers, has approved your removal as the Registrar and Chief Executive Officer of National Examinations Council with effect from the date of your suspension from duty.”

The former Registrar was also directed to hand over all the government property in his custody to the acting Registrar.

In another letter, FME/S/1419/C.3/T/98, on May 11, by the Permanent Secretary, the President approved the dismissal from service of four Management workers.

The letter partly reads, “After due consideration of the Financial Report of the Review Committee, Mr. President has approved the recommendations as follows; Bamidele Olure, dismissal from the service with effect from the date of his suspension from office having been found guilty of financial impropriety and not qualified to Head the Finance and Accounts Department.

“Dr. Shina Adetona was dismissed from service with effect from the date he was suspended from office for acts tantamount to fraudulent practices, sabotage and suppression of official records.”

National Examination Council (NECO) Has Called For The Resumption Of Secondary School Final Year Students.

The government had on March 19 ordered the immediate closure of all tertiary, secondary and primary schools as part of measures to curb the spread of COVID-19 virus.

However the two bodies of SSCE in the country which is West African Examinations Council (WAEC) and the National Examinations Council (NECO) therefore postphoned the exams indefinately due to the COVID-19 outbreak in the country.

The Minister of State for Education, Chukwuemeka Nwajiuba, made the stance of the government known at the daily Presidential Task Force briefing on COVID-19 in Abuja.

Both examinations were slated for May and June 2020 respectively.

On 18th May,2020 examination department of the National Examination Council (NECO) has called for the resumption of secondary school final year students.

NECO Seeks Resumption of Final Year Students In Secondary Schools

The National Examination Council (NECO) has called on its state officers to commence talks with the state commissioners of education and other relevant stakeholders to allow final year students to resume.

This information was dissemble and directed to the state board officers on Monday.This is to ensure the final students to write their exams and also the only the teachers directly involved in the conduct of the examinations, by so doing the we will be in compliance with social distancing and other safety measures will also be observed.

All other class rooms laboratories, offices can be used to conduct this exam in the absence of other students as it will generate enough space for the students by so doing the recommended rules that is, social distancing will be overcome

However a specific period will be allowed for revision and the examination will commence ASAP.

All we need is to convince the relevant stake holders to actuallize this Task

“This suggestion is in view of the realization that based on the daily report of the spread of COVID 19, so schools and institutions, full resumption may not be possible even in the near future.

We thereby direct to commence talks with the commissioner for edu and other concerned body to convince the on the need for the students to commence their external exams says by Minister of State for Education, Chukwuemeka Nwajiuba

I think this is a very good suggestions, is not good for students to be off book for so long and with the numbers of Covid-19cases every day I don't think the government is willing to lift up the lockdown at least not now, since other students won't be around their will be enough classroom even offices to conduct the exam of which social distance would be observed.