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Tag: NECO

  • Nigeria to fully migrate NECO, SSCE to Computer-Based Testing from 2027 to tackle malpractice

    Nigeria to fully migrate NECO, SSCE to Computer-Based Testing from 2027 to tackle malpractice

    The National Examinations Council (NECO), the West African Examinations Council (WAEC), and other exams will be entirely computer-based testing (CBT) starting in 2027, according to the Ministry of Education, to reduce instances of exam fraud.

    Speaking on Thursday in Abuja at the Committee on Improvement of Quality Examinations’ inauguration, Education Minister Dr Tunji Alausa emphasised the government’s resolve to combat pervasive exam malpractice and raise the standard of the country’s educational assessments as a whole.

    He claimed that combating exam leaks necessitates a comprehensive strategy because parents encourage their children to engage in exam malpractice, demonstrating that students are not the only ones who commit these crimes.

    Read also: Nigeria sets 3-year timeline to transition JAMB, NECO, WAEC exams to computer-based testing

    He went on to say that the nation’s growing examination misconduct was also the fault of educators, school administrators, and exam supervisors.

    Objectives to combat exam malpractices

    Alausa listed a number of objectives that the committee was established to accomplish, such as preventing exam leaks, dealing with identity theft during exams, and enhancing examination oversight.

    He emphasised the significance of fighting local candidate swapping during exams and switching to computer-based exams by 2027.

    According to him, it will be made feasible by the government’s significant investment in education under the administration of President Bola Tinubu, with a particular emphasis on the development of human capital.

    To guarantee the credibility of results, Alausa declared that exam certificates would now include three essential identifiers: candidates’ photographs, date of birth (DoB), and national identity numbers.

    Exam malpractice is a growing problem, he said, and he warned that permitting it to continue will sabotage the hard work of students who are trying to better themselves.

    Read also: NECO expands global reach by accrediting foreign institutions in Niger Republic, Equatorial Guinea

    Technology to help combat examination malpractices 

    He said: “So, we’re planning that by 2027, all our exams will be computer-based. We will work so hard to ensure that that happens. We have to use technology to help our endeavour. The committee will also be working with local swapping of candidates. There are multiple participants in exam practices. From the student to parents, teachers, principals, to even people regulating and supervising exam conduct.”

    “During this change, a lot of areas of compromises will happen. There will be people investigating and regulating the exams.”

    “I’ve mandated all the registrars of our examination bodies, such as WAEC, NECO and NAPTEB that by their next examinations scheduled for May, June and July, there will be three identifiers on the certificates they issue. These identifiers will be the national identification number of the candidates, picture of the candidate on the certificates and their date of birth.”

    “By having these three identifiers, we will ensure almost 100 per cent certainty in identifying candidates,” he emphasised.

    Prof. Is-haq Oloyede, the committee chairman and Registrar of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), responded by thanking the Federal Government for putting its trust in him and the other committee members to complete the national assignment and promising to do so promptly and faithfully.

  • Nigeria sets 3-year timeline to transition JAMB, NECO, WAEC exams to computer-based testing

    Nigeria sets 3-year timeline to transition JAMB, NECO, WAEC exams to computer-based testing

    The Federal Government of Nigeria has established a three-year timeframe for the transition of all O’Level exams administered by the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) and the National Examinations Council (NECO) to computer-based testing (CBT).

    Dr. Tunji Alausa, the Minister of Education, made this announcement during a meeting with the Director of Senior Secondary Education in Abuja, as well as representatives from the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), NECO, and WAEC.

    In a statement released on Friday in Abuja, Boriowo Folasade, Director of Press and Public Relations at the Federal Ministry of Education, explained this. To preserve the integrity of all exams, the minister reiterated the government’s uncompromising position that there is no room for exam malpractice.

    Read also: NECO expands global reach by accrediting foreign institutions in Niger Republic, Equatorial Guinea

    Committee to be set up in January 2025 to address key examination issues

    A committee has been established to address critical issues, such as examination leaks, fraud, identity theft, and enhancing supervision, the announcement stated. The group will be formally established in January 2025.

    He emphasised that the government is dedicated to maintaining the integrity of the placement tests conducted by JAMB, as well as the high-stakes and accomplishment exams organised by NECO and WAEC.

    “One of the key decisions at the meeting was the transition of all examinations (achievement and placement) into a CBT platform within the next three years, ensuring a more secure and efficient examination process,” the minister stated.

    “This is a significant step towards building a robust and credible examination system for Nigeria. We are moving swiftly to protect the future of our education system and ensure that our students’ achievements are recognised fairly and accurately,” he stressed.

    Read also: WAEC fixes dates to conduct computer-based tests for private candidates

    Minister of State for Education laments high rate of examination malpractices 

    Dr Suwaiba Ahmad, the Minister of State for Education, voiced her concerns over the widespread use of unethical techniques in Nigeria’s educational system.

    She detailed alarming behaviours like schools bribing officials to allow cheating and pupils contributing money to acquire leaked answers via WhatsApp.

    Ahmad stressed that these behaviours harm students’ academic and moral growth and damage the validity of assessments.

    She reiterated the Ministry’s resolve to implement stringent policies to prevent misconduct, guarantee responsibility, and preserve the integrity of the country’s testing system. To restore equity and openness, she urged all parties involved to cooperate.

    “With these measures in place, Nigeria is poised to strengthen the credibility of its educational system and set a new standard for examination security,” the statement noted.

  • NECO expands global reach by accrediting foreign institutions in Niger Republic, Equatorial Guinea

    NECO expands global reach by accrediting foreign institutions in Niger Republic, Equatorial Guinea

    The National Examination Council  (NECO) has expanded its global reach by accrediting additional institutions based outside Nigeria.

    NECO’s acting director of public relations Azeez Sanni, in a statement on Saturday, said that the approved schools are located in Equatorial Guinea and Niger Republic.

    Last year, the Nigerian examination body authorised a few

    locations in the Niger Republic so that Nigerian students in the Francophone nation could take the assessment.

    Read also: NECO 2024 results released: How to check online or via SMS

    The statement read, “Determined to broaden its horizon and expand its global presence, the National Examinations Council has accredited more foreign schools to write the Senior School Certificate Examination and the Basic Education Certificate Examination.”

    “The newly accredited schools, in addition to the existing ones, are in Niger Republic and Equatorial Guinea,” Sanni added.

    “NECO accreditation team visited the Schools to assess their readiness to write the SSCE and BECE.”

    “The accreditation team inspected classrooms, laboratories, libraries, computer laboratories, workshops, examination halls and sports facilities to determine their adequacy and suitability for NECO examinations.”

    “After a thorough evaluation and comprehensive assessment, the schools were granted full SSCE and full BECE accreditation status.”

    Students currently writing NECO’s SSCE in Niger Republic 

    Candidates are writing the NECO SSCE external examination, taking place in Diffa, Niger Republic.

    The council claims that the first NECO SSCE external centre outside of Nigeria is the UNHCR School in Diffa, Niger Republic.

    Candidates from Equatorial Guinea, Benin Republic, Togo, Cote d’Ivoire, Niger Republic, and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia now write the NECO exam.

    Read also: WAEC fixes dates to conduct computer-based tests for private candidates

    About NECO’s SSCE and BECE

    Abdulsalami Abubakar, the former head of state, founded NECO in April 1999 to handle the increasing number of secondary school applicants and ensure that exams meet the needs of Nigerians.

    NECO administers the General Certificate in Education (GCE) in November/December for private candidates and the Senior Secondary Certificate Examination (SSCE) in June/July for school candidates who want to proceed to higher institutions.

    Its goal is to guarantee that NECO’s exams adhere to the directives, standards, and aspirations of the National Curriculum and the National Policy on Education. Its certificates are internationally recognised.

    The Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) is an examination that is written by students after completing three years of Junior Secondary Schools before they can be eligible to proceed to Senior Secondary Schools and vocational schools in Ghana and Nigeria

    The Ministry of Education’s Ghana Education Service is in charge of its administration. In Nigeria, it is overseen by the National Examinations Council (NECO) and run by the state ministry of education in each state.

    Exams for Unity Schools, Armed Forces Secondary Schools, and other Federal Government schools are directly organised by NECO. It is conducted annually in June (Ghana) and May/June (Nigeria).

  • NECO 2024 results released: How to check online or via SMS

    NECO 2024 results released: How to check online or via SMS

    The National Examinations Council (NECO) released the 2024 Senior School Certificate Examination (SSCE) results after the evaluation process from Monday, 19 August to Sunday, 8 September 2024.

    Prof. Dantani Wushishi, NECO Registrar, announced the results Thursday at the council’s offices in Minna, Niger State. From Wednesday, June 19, to Friday, July 26, 2024, approximately 1.3 million Nigerians took the exam. After less than a month of evaluation, the results were released on time.

    Wushishi added that 1,376,436 students took the exam, which was released two months after the final exam. The number of dubious candidates was 8,407, down from 12,030 in 2023.

    Read also: How to get your digital WAEC certificate

    Candidates can now check their results online through the NECO official website or SMS. The online results system www.results.neco.gov.ng allows for easy viewing of examination outcomes.

    It would be best to have your NECO exam number, year, email address, and result-checking token.

    To buy a NECO Result Checking Token (scratch card), visit https://result.neco.gov.ng. Click ‘Purchase Token’ after registering or logging in.

    SSCE 2024 Results Released: How to Check Online

    Visit the NECO result-checking portal at https://results.neco.gov.ng/

    Select your examination year as “2024” and choose the type (SSCE Internal, SSCE External, BECE, NCEE, or GIFTED).

    Enter the token sent to the mobile number you provided during registration.

    Enter your registration number.

    Click on the “Check my result” button.

    Read also: WAEC releases 2024 WASSCE results; 215,267 withheld

    NECO 2024 Results: Check via SMS

    On your phone, type NECOExamNoPIN*ExamYear (without spaces). For example, if your exam number is 87654321AB, your PIN is 4558903411246, and you’re checking the 2024 result, your message should look like this:

    NECO87654321AB4558903411246*2024

    Send the message to the official NECO result-checking SMS number.

    You will receive a text message containing your result.

    Note: Result tokens can be purchased from any accredited dealer. 

    Verify that all information is typed accurately and submitted to the official SMS number.

    If you still haven’t received a response after a few minutes, send the message again. If you have any issues checking your results, contact NECO customer support.

  • How to check your NECO result online and identify a fake result in 2023

    How to check your NECO result online and identify a fake result in 2023

    In addition to the well-known WAEC and JAMB exams, many people are eagerly anticipating the National Examination Council (NECO) exam in Nigeria.

    Thanks to technological advances and the common use of smartphones, it is now very easy to check your NECO result, and you can do it from the comfort of your own home.

    But it’s also important to be careful, especially if you need to check your results at an Internet shop so that you don’t get a fake or manipulated result.

    In this article, we outline in detail how to check your NECO result online and give tips on how to make sure it’s real, especially how to spot fake results.

    Read also: NECO introduces e-Verify to ensure authenticity of results

    Online NECO result checking

    1. Sign up and sign in

    Visit the official website at https://results.neco.gov.ng/.

    On the site, you’ll find a button that lets you log in if you already have an account, make a new account, or buy tokens. Click on the right option for your case.

    If you don’t have an account, choose the “Create an Account” option. Fill in the required information and follow the on-screen prompts to create your account.

    2. Purchase tokens

    Once you have successfully signed up and logged in, you can buy coins. Tokens are unique codes that allow you to check your results online. Keep in mind that you need one token per result check, so if you need to, you may want to buy more than one token. It costs 625 naira for each ticket.

    When you buy tokens, keep in mind that there are other fees, such as service fees and remittance fees. Including all fees, one ticket will cost a total of 836 Naira. Remita is used to send the money.

    After making the payment, the codes for the tokens you bought will be added to your account.

    You can get a NECO result-checking ticket, which is a scratch card, in other ways besides using the website. For example, you can get one from any NECO office or an authorized online dealer.

    3. Check your NECO results

    To check your result, navigate to the appropriate section on the website and fill in the required information. This includes entering the token code, examination number, examination year (from only the year 2000 upwards), and examination type.

    There are five types of examinations:

    • SSCE Internal: The Senior Secondary School Certificate Examination (SSCE) Internal is for seniors.
    • SSCE External: The Senior Secondary School Certificate Examination (SSCE) External is for candidates that are not in the school system, i.e., private candidates.
    • BECE: Junior Secondary School seniors take the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE).
    • NCEE: The National Common Entrance Examination (NCEE) is for admission into Junior Secondary Schools (JSS 1) of Federal Government Unity Colleges. For elementary children.
    • Gifted: The Federal Government Academy of Federal Government Unity Colleges, a unique secondary school, requires the Gifted Examination (GIFTED).

    Click the “Check Result” button once you have filled in all the required information.

    The results will then be shown on the next page of the site. At this point, you can choose to print your result or save it to your computer for future use.

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    How to authenticate NECO results

    e-Verify, a new NECO platform, helps consumers verify their findings and prevents forgeries. NECO findings were verified in Minna, Niger State, before.

    The NECO e-Verify platform verifies academic and basic information for admission and employment candidates.

    Although the platform has not launched yet, one of the features it will have is landing and unlanding pages. Also, to verify, Personal Information will be needed. This includes personal information such as your name, phone number, email address, and password. Ensure that the information provided is accurate.

    NECO will text and email you after you provide your personal information. These messages will provide verification requirements, including token payments. Enter the verification token on e-Verify as requested. This starts with result verification.

    NECO verifies the result after entering the verification token. The platform will identify tampering or authenticity.

    Before e-Verify becomes available

    You can also help yourself avoid getting a fake or changed result. One important thing to know is that the real NECO result will have a watermark of the NECO badge in the background. Among the other things to do,

    Visit an accredited NECO centre to get your NECO result

    When verifying your result at a cyber café or internet centre, make sure it’s NECO-approved. To check if a cyber cafe or internet centre is NECO-approved for result checking, complete these steps:

    Check NECO’s Official Website: Find a list of approved cyber cafes or internet centres on NECO’s website. NECO may list authorized result-checking establishments. If not, step 2.

    • Locally: Ask friends, family, or schools for advice. Your local schools may know of NECO-approved cyber cafes or internet centers.
    • Contact NECO: If you can’t find a credible source, contact NECO’s official hotline or customer care or check their website.

    Compare NECO Results

    To verify your NECO result, check the name, examination number, year, and other personal information. Be aware of:

    • Name: Check that your name matches the NECO result paper. Pay attention to spelling, name order, and abbreviations. Errors or irregularities in the name may suggest tampering.
    • Exam Number: Check the result’s exam number. Make sure the result’s examination number matches yours.
    • Year: Check that the NECO result’s year matches your exam year. The year may reflect the result’s legitimacy.
    • Personal facts: In addition to the name, examination number, and year, evaluate other personal facts in the result. Your photo, signature, birthdate, and other identifiable information may be included. Verify that these details are accurate. Inconsistencies or inaccuracies may cast doubt on the result.

    If you notice any differences or have questions about the information given, you should contact the right people, like the educational school or NECO, for clarification or more information.

  • NECO introduces e-Verify to ensure authenticity of results

    NECO introduces e-Verify to ensure authenticity of results

    The National Examination Council (NECO) in Nigeria has developed e-Verify, an online system that will validate the results of its various examinations. 

    This declaration was made by the council during a meeting in Abuja that also included key figures such as the Secretary of the Government of the Federation and members from the Federal Ministry of Education. 

    Read also: TECNO, UNHCR support African refugee’s higher education

    Why e-Verify was introduced

    People will be less likely to use fabricated findings for the aim of gaining employment or admittance to a university due to e-Verify. 

    e-Verify will streamline the process of verifying results while simultaneously preventing fraudulent use of test results. Prior to this point, any request for NECO to verify a candidate’s results had to be sent to the head office in the state of Niger. 

    Prof. Dantani Wushishi, the Registrar of NECO, made these statements during the launch of e-Verify. He stated that e-Verify would give speedy verification of results in addition to other benefits such as higher confidence, decreased likelihood of forgery, and increased operational efficiency. 

    Between the years 2020 and 2022, Wushishi disclosed that the examination organisation has received questions for result verification and confirmation from a total of 64 academic institutions located in 37 different countries. Within the same time range in Nigeria, the NECO registrar disclosed that identical petitions were received from seventy-two different institutions.  

    According to him, the motivation for the development of this product was the rise in the number of requests for result verification from institutions not only in Nigeria but also in other countries.  

    In the meantime, the federal government has informed the heads of higher institutions to begin using the e-Verify portal for candidates of the most recent NECO senior school certificate test. This was done in order to prevent fraudulent use of the system. This was disclosed to the general public when e-Verify was first introduced. 

     

    Other Exam bodies that have done so

    It is important to keep in mind that the Nigerian Examinations Council (NECO) is not the first examination authority in the country to roll out a verification portal. 

    The West African Examination Council (WAEC) has introduced a digital platform with the intention of making the process of authenticating certificates and issuing them more straightforward.  Recovery of lost examination numbers, a requirement for verifying findings, is another function that can be performed through the portal.

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    Remarks from NECO officials

    “The ‘NECO e-Verify’ is an Online Result Verification solution that guarantees instant authentication of academic and basic information about prospective candidates for admission and employment into academic institutions and workplaces respectively,” NECO’s Registrar Prof. Dantani Wushishi said.

    “Vice Chancellors of universities, rectors of polytechnics, provosts of colleges of education, head of other tertiary institutions, including Innovation Enterprises Institutions are therefore mandated to make use of NECO e-Verify software for verifying all candidates that will be admitted who sat in neco exam,” remarked David Andrew Adejo, permanent secretary of the Ministry of Education. He stated that this move would ensure that only candidates with valid results would be considered for admission.