Schools were Given Adequate Opportunities for BECE Registration, Says NECO

Schools were Given Adequate Opportunities for BECE Registration, Says NECO

By Kuni Tyessi

The National Examinations Council (NECO) has said that adequate time and opportunity were provided in advance for all schools to register their candidates for the 2020 Basic Examination Certificate Examinations (BECE).

In a statement by NECO’s Head of Information and Public Communication, Azeez Sani, the council said its attention has been drawn to complaints by some schools whose candidates were unable to sit for the ongoing exams.

He said due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and to accommodate late registration, the council had deemed it fit to extend the duration for registration to 12 midnight of Friday, August 21, 2020.

Sani added that the closure of the portal on the said date was neither punitive nor designed to undermine registrants and schools, but was to allow the council produce and distribute materials to examination centres for seamless conduct of the exercise.

According to him, “NECO wishes to state 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 of Friday, 21st August, 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 centres for seamless conduct of the exercise.

“Consequently, NECO assures the public of its commitment to effective and efficient conduct of all examinations within its statutory mandate. In this regard, it will continue to engage all stakeholders as may be appropriate.”

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