The Registrar of the National Examinations Council (NECO), Prof. Ibrahim Wushishi, has stated that the complexity of NECO's examinations may prevent an immediate transition from paper-based to computer-based testing.
Wushishi made these remarks during an interactive session with journalists on Wednesday in Abuja, where he discussed key milestones achieved by the council.
As the examination body that conducts the largest number of tests, Wushishi explained that migrating to computer-based tests (CBT) would require a gradual approach. "For the fact that NECO is the largest examination body by the number of examinations we conduct, migrating to CBT is a critical issue," he said.
In contrast, the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) examines candidates in fewer subject areas, making it easier for them to embrace CBT and utilize multiple-choice questions.
However, NECO's examinations, particularly the Senior Secondary Certificate Examination (SSCE) for admission into tertiary institutions, involve testing nearly 1.5 million candidates annually across 76 different subjects and more than 150 papers.
The NECO registrar emphasized the need to maintain the standards of acceptability, reliability, and credibility in their examinations.
He noted that international universities, such as Lead University and Birmingham City University in the UK, have written to the council requesting to use its results for student applications, demonstrating the credibility and acceptance of NECO's examinations globally.
As a result, Wushishi stated that the council would not rush into migrating to CBT, but rather approach it gradually, starting with the multiple-choice-based Common Entrance Examination.
Regarding measures to curb examination malpractices in the upcoming SSCE internal examinations, Wushishi expressed confidence in the council's sophisticated mechanisms to prevent leakages.
