Wushishi, who disclosed this in Enugu on Wednesday, shortly after monitoring the ongoing examination in the state, said they comprise 706,490 males and 669,901 females
The Registrar and Chief Executive of the National Examinations Council, Prof Ibrahim Wushishi, has disclosed that 1,376,391 candidates are taking the 2024 NECO Senior Secondary Certificate Examination nationwide.
Wushishi, who disclosed this in Enugu on Wednesday, shortly after monitoring the ongoing examination in the state, said they comprise 706,490 males and 669,901 females
He said the Council is also conducting the examination in six West African countries and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, which is taking the examination this year for the first time.
According to him, over 2,000 foreign candidates are taking the examination this year.
He said, “For this year we have recorded 1, 376, 391 candidates overall; 706, 490 male, 669,000 plus female candidates. The number this year exceed what we had recorded last year. Last year we had recorded 1, 205, 888 candidates. For this year we are having 1.3 million; so it’s an appreciation of enrollment rate as far as SSCE is concerned.”
Speaking on the monitoring exercise, the Registrar said: “We decided to embark on this kind of monitoring exercise in order to avail ourselves opportunity to know what is happening in the field as far as the process of conduct the exam is concerned. This is because a lot number of processes in conducting the exam are involved.
“We have to monitor what is happening in the field and that is why we decided to monitor two geopolitical zones – the South East and South South. In the South South we monitored Edo, Delta, Rivers and Bayelsa states.
“In the South East we monitored Abia, Imo, Anambra and Enugu states. We have to do that by road so that in the process where we see any school along the road we enter. We go there by surprise visit to monitor what is going on as far as the exam is concerned. This has availed us a lot number of opportunities to see what is going on in the field.
“So far in the South South and South East states visited, we have not found any fundamental thing that is negative in the processes of the exam. Everything is going on fine; delivery of sensitive and non-sensitive materials were done on time and all the exams and report and interactions from principals and major stakeholders – commissioners and directors in the ministries of education and schools we went attest to the fact that all the materials were delivered on time.”
He applauded the conduct of the examination, saying he was impressed “with what I have seen so far, even the sitting arrangement was perfect”.
The Registrar who visited Federal Government College, Enugu and College of Immaculate Conception, told journalists that the sitting arrangements in the schools were exemplary.
“In the Federal Government College, the school is housing 574 students sitting in one hall and you cannot fault the sitting arrangement. The whole arrangement we have seen across the states in the two zones visited we are satisfied and we are also satisfied on the delivery of materials,” he said.
He reaffirmed NECO’s strict policy on examination malpractice, emphasising that the organisation has always had a zero-tolerance approach to this issue.
