NECO to conduct “another test’’ after Common Entrance
Salimot Raji
National Examinations Council, NECO, has said it will conduct another test for candidates who pass its Common Entrance Examination to select the best for admission into Federal Government Colleges on merit.
Supervising Minister of Education, Nyesom Wike, made this known on Saturday through the Director, Basic and Secondary Education in the Ministry of Education, Daniel Uwaezuoke, during a monitoring exercise of the ongoing Common Entrance examination in some schools in Abuja.
Mr. Uwaezuoke, said this was in line with government’s promise to ensure that 60 per cent of admissions into Federal Government Colleges were on merit.
He also said 40 per cent of the students will be allocated on the basis of quota system. The increase in enrolment this year according to him was an indication that NECO was getting to a stage of perfection in conducting examinations and that parents were beginning to have confidence in the body.
Registrar of NECO, Promise Okpala, in his remark reiterated government’s resolve to ensure that not only access but also quality in enrolment at all levels of education.
Mr Okpala said a total of 95,926 candidates registered for the Common Entrance Examination into Federal Government Colleges in 2014 as against 88,444 in 2013.
According to him, 18,726 candidates registered for the examination in the FCT alone, while Lagos State had the highest number of enrolment with 26,926 candidates.
He disclosed that there was a decrease in some Northern states; Borno registered 218, Yobe 176, Adamawa 318, Zamfara recorded the lowest number of enrolment with only 113 candidates.