By Felix Khanoba
The National Examinations Council (NECO) says its decision to close the registration portal for this year’s Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) was not meant to punish schools or students.
The exam body said it decided to close the portal to allow for timely production and distribution materials after the extension on the registration period earlier announced had elapsed.
A statement made available to newsmen by Azeez Sani, Head of Information and Public Relations of NECO on Wednesday in Abuja, said the clarification became necessary to clear the air on complaints by some schools whose candidates have been unable to sit for the ongoing exam.
The statement read: “The attention of National Examinations Council (NECO) has been drawn to complaints by some schools whose candidates are unable to sit for the on-going Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) that commenced on Monday, 24th August 2020.
“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.”
The exam body assured Nigerians of its commitment to effectively conduct all examinations within its statutory mandates, even as it pledged to continuously engage relevant stakeholders in carrying out its mandate.
