By Felix Khanoba
The National Examinations Council (NECO) says 48 per cent of candidates obtained five credits and above, including English Language and Mathematics in its 2019 November/December Senior School Certificate Examination (SSCE).
Registrar of NECO, Mr Abubakar Gana, who made this known while announcing the release of the results, said the 48 per cent performance was below 62.48 per cent recorded in 2018.
A statement made available to newsmen by the Council in Abuja on Thursday, lamented the level of exam malpractices witnessed in the November/December SSCE.
According to NECO, the incidents of exam malpractices rose from 12,084 in 2018 to 17,004 in 2019, adding that a total of 29 subjects were written by 70,140 candidates of which the results were released 49 days after the last paper was written.
The statement read in part: “This is an examination conducted for external candidates wishing to acquire the minimum requirements for admission into various tertiary institutions.
“33,576 candidates, representing 48.68 per cent got five credits and above, including English Language and Mathematics. A comparative analysis of candidates who scored five credits and above, including English Language and Mathematics for 2018 and 2019 shows 62.48 per cent for 2018 and 48.68 per cent for 2019, representing a decrease of 13.8 per cent in 2019.
“It should, however, be noted that not all candidates require credit in either English Language or Mathematics or both.
“Concerning candidates’ involvement in various forms of malpractice in 2019 when compared to 2018, there is an increase in the number of candidates booked tor malpractice.
“While 12,084 cases were recorded in 2018, 17,004 cases were recorded in 2019. This came about as a result of the comprehensive monitoring by senior staff which also resulted in the decline in the number of candidates with five credits and above.”
