The National Examinations Council (NECO) has raised concerns over the low registration numbers for the 2024 National Common Entrance Examination (NCEE), with only 70,603 candidates participating in the exams.
NECO Registrar, Professor Dantani Wushishi, who expressed worry over the decline in registrations compared to previous years while monitoring the exercise on Saturday in Abuja, attributed it to economic challenges faced by parents.
Professor Wushishi highlighted that economic factors were the primary cause of the decrease in registrations, with 33,335 males and 37,268 females signing up for the exams this year as against the 2023 which had 34,064 males and 38,801 females, totalling 72,865.
He emphasized, “Economic factors are the most prevalent hindrance to the large registration numbers seen in previous years.”
Data from NECO revealed that Lagos state recorded the highest number of candidates with 17,751 registrations, while Bayelsa, Borno, and Gombe had the lowest participation rates.
Responding to concerns about underage candidates, Wushishi clarified that students taking the NCEE were either 10 years old or close to turning 10.
The smooth conduct of the exams was commended by the Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Education, Mrs. Didi Walson-Jack, who praised NECO for providing conducive examination environments.
Senator Lawal Adamu, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Education, Basic, and Secondary, lauded NECO and the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) for their efforts in enhancing education, revealing that he personally sponsored NECO and JAMB examinations, contributing over N250 million to support parents in affording examination fees.
Gom Mirian- Report
Plateau News Online 