Over 70,000 candidates sat for the National Common Entrance Examination (NCEE), conducted by the National Examinations Council (NECO) this past weekend.
The exam, held for Basic 5 and 6 pupils, is for candidates seeking admission into the 115 Unity Colleges across Nigeria.
During the monitoring of the examination in Abuja on Saturday, the Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Education, Mrs. Didi Walson-Jack, applauded the examination body for the smooth exercise.
She disclosed that there are 55 centres in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
She said: “We have been monitoring the ongoing National Common Entrance Examination (NCEE) in the FCT. We have 55 centres here. But we have so far monitored three centres. And generally, I would say that everything is going on smoothly.
The students are doing the exam comfortably. And there’s been no problem so far. We are happy with all that NECO has put in place to ensure a smooth and seamless exercise.”
Also speaking, the Registrar and Chief Executive of NECO, Prof. Ibrahim Wushishi, attributed the decline in candidates’ registration this year compared to last year to the economy.
The Registrar, however, noted an increase in the number of female candidates, stressing that all candidates will fill the state’s quota in 115 Unity Colleges.
“So far, for this year’s National Common Entrance Examination (NCEE), we have 33,335 registered males and over 37,000 females. We have a total of 70,608 that registered, which is below last year.
“Last year’s registration was about 72,000. This could be attributed to so many factors; the economy is the most prevalent factor that could hinder this large registration,” he said.
