The National Examinations Council (NECO) has vowed
to sanction schools that are charging above the government-approved fee of
N9,850 for the registration for the 2020 Senior School Certificate Examination
(SSCE).
Acting Registrar of NECO, Dr. Abubakar Gana, on Wednesday said the examination body has written to commissioners of education
of the 36 states and FCT, notifying them of the extortions going on in their
schools against the directive of the federal government.
Gana stated this in Abuja when the House of
Representatives Committee on Basic Education and Services paid an oversight
visit to the Council, and raised an observation that some schools were charging
between N19,000 and N20,000 as registration fee for SSCE.
While frowning at the development, the NECO boss
noted that the Council was on top of the situation, adding that the examination
body will continue to play active role in ensuring that candidates are not
defrauded while pursuing their education.
He said NECO would engage members of the committee
to monitor its examination and report any infraction to guide the Council on
appropriate actions to be taken.
"A month ago, we wrote to all the state
commissioners of education highlighting that some schools, both public and
private, are overcharging candidates. While the NECO fee is N9,850, some are
even charging N20,000 in the name of administrative charges.
"Most of these schools are miracle centres where
they perpetrate examination malpractice. Some lazy candidates who don't have
the confidence go to the extent of paying N50,000 to register so they can have
their way to commit malpractice.
"We are on it. You too have a very critical
role to play. We will make sure that in all our activities, we would make you
part of the monitoring team so that you can see what is happening, and at your
own convenience, write a report to us," he said.
Gana, who took the committee through the mandate of
NECO, appealed to the National Assembly for the review of NECO's budget,
lamenting that the body has not embarked on any capital project for the past
three years.
Responding, the Chairman of the House Committee on
Basic Education and Services, Prof Julius Ihovbere, said the committee had a
lot of confidence in NECO and those managing the agency.
Ihovbere said from the feedback from his
constituency, NECO was doing exceptionally well.
"We believe that with the role you have played, the
only way to better appreciate it is to imagine a Nigeria without NECO," he
said.
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