NECO to Introduce CBT for Nov/Dec SSCE — A New Era for Senior Secondary Exams!

Exam bodies are urged by stakeholders to adopt a domestic strategy.

According to Prof. Dantani Ibrahim Wushishi, the Registrar and Chief Executive of the National Examination Council (NECO), the organization is prepared to administer a Computer-Based Test (CBT) to private pupils for the November/December Senior Secondary Certificate Examination (SSCE).

Wushishi emphasized the necessity of an awareness campaign to persuade stakeholders to accept the new SSCE exam format. He also mentioned that NECO has been conducting town hall meetings with stakeholders throughout the states to discuss the necessity of CBT.

Speaking at the Education Writers’ Association of Nigeria (EWAN) dialogue series, the registrar addressed the following topic:

“SSCE CBT: Is Nigeria Prepared?” conducted digitally, revealed that, in addition to National Open University CBT centers in every state and a few local authorities, there were over 2,000 CBT centers nationwide.

In order to ascertain the closest distance to CBT centers or vice versa, he continued, NECO is also mapping out schools to correspond with available CBT centers.

In her remarks, Hajia Binta Abdulkadir, the Director of Senior Secondary Education, stated that the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) and other examination bodies are equipped to administer CBT tests.

She revealed that the Improvement of Public Examinations in Nigeria group, led by Prof. Is-haq Oloyede, Registrar of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), is addressing these concerns and will provide its findings shortly.

Abdulkadir emphasized the need to punish those who are sabotaging the nation’s exams, saying that the government should revive punitive laws on exam malpractices if they are already dead. He assured that the ministry and examination bodies would look inward to start the new approach.

Participants in the meeting, however, held differing opinions.

Dr. Adunola Osoba, a participant, proposed that CBT centers be implemented in stages, stating, “It is feasible.” Stakeholders, particularly the candidates, should be greatly sensitized.

AbdulRasheed Rabana, another panelist, stated that Nigeria could not implement CBT without her method of administering exams. He remarked, “Can you imagine if we administered oral, essay, and practical exams? Our multiple-choice test is the only one that can be modified to accommodate CBT.