Why NECO won’t immediately adopt computer-based testing — Registrar

National Examinations Council (NECO) won’t switch to computer-based testing (CBT) right away due to the large number and variety of exams it administers, the body’s registrar, Prof. Ibrahim Wushishi, has said.

Speaking during an interactive session with journalists in Abuja on Wednesday, Wushishi highlighted the challenges faced by NECO, which conducts a vast array of examinations across numerous subject areas.

The registrar, who shared key milestones achieved by NECO with journalists, noted that it was easier for the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) because it uses a multiple-choice format in administering its Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).

He said that by being the body conducting the largest number of examinations, over a wider range of subjects (76) and papers (over 150), migrating to CBT would take a gradual step.

“For the fact that NECO is the largest examination body by the number of examinations we conduct, migrating to CBT is a critical issue.

“For JAMB, they are not examining candidates in so many subject areas so they find it very easy to embrace CBT in their examinations and do multiple choice in their exams.

“As far as NECO is concerned, if you look at the nature of our exams particularly in SSCE internal-for admissions into tertiary institutions, every year we examine students close to 1.5 million which is a large number.

“For this 1.5 million candidates, we examine these candidates in 76 different subjects and more than 150 different papers.

“So if we look at the complexity of these exams, particularly the essays where we have different papers, going CBT is something that experts need to sit and look at the nitty gritty of the exams,” he said.

While acknowledging the potential benefits of migrating certain exams to CBT, Wushishi stressed the need for a gradual approach, suggesting that areas like the common entrance examination, which is multiple-choice based, could serve as a starting point.

Regarding the upcoming SSCE internal examinations, Wushishi assured the public that NECO has implemented sophisticated measures to prevent examination malpractice, including continuous sensitization programmes, enhanced data protection, and the use of advanced identity verification tools.

“We are putting in place programmes for continuous sensitisation awareness. We are going to improve in the area of data protection to protect our candidate’s information.

“We are getting sophisticated identity to check malpractices as well as identify fishing sites to know if our papers leaked.

“We have no fears of any malpractices in the conduct of our exams coming up in June,” he said.

Reflecting on NECO’s achievements over its 25-year history, Wushishi noted the council’s examination of 34 million Nigerian youths and its efforts in conducting trial testing exams to improve examination quality.