Breaking: NECO Suspends SSCE Examinations, Orders Staff to Return Home
editorOctober 21, 2020 5:47 Pm
By Laleye Dipo in Minna
Following deterioration of the security situation in the country occasioned by the #ENDSARS protests, the National Examination Council NECO has stopped the conduct of the Senior School Certificate Examination SSCE .
THISDAY learnt that the examination body has already directed its examiners and invigilators to return to their various offices and await further instructions.
The decision to stop the conduct of the examination also followed the declaration of 24-hour curfew by some state governors especially those of Lagos, Ogun, Edo and Imo where the #ENDSARS protest had assumed destructive dimensions.
The examination body had conducted the Economics paper test on Tuesday while the Physics practical paper took place on Wednesday without some candidates in some states writing the tests because of the protest and curfew
A message from the Director of Examination Administration to all its field officers confirmed the stoppage of the examination.
The message titled :PUTTING ON HOLD SOME PAPERS OF THE ONGOING SSCEâ€, the examination body defended its action by saying: “The Management and Governing Board of the National Examinations Council NECO is compelled by circumstances occasioned by the EndSARS protests which led to imposition of curfews in some states thereby making it difficult for the council to move sensitive materials across the country, to put on hold papers for Thursday 22 ,Friday 23 and Saturday 24th.October.
“The papers will be written between 17th to 19th November after computer practical paper on the 16th.Examinations will continue on the 27th of October.
“ALL Officers are hereby directed to return to base and await further directives on the 25th.
“State Ministries of Education ,Schools, parents ,Supervisors, monitoring officers and other stakeholders should be adequately sensitized,†the circular said.
A senior official of NECO had also told THISDAY “It is absolutely difficult for us to continue to conduct the Examinations in the present circumstance†.
“We are monitoring the situation, when things normalise we will sit to decide the next line of action,†THISDAY was further told.
Last Sunday, NECO announced that it had rescheduled one of its Senior School Certificate Examinations papers, the Computer Studies Practicals paper 1 earlier scheduled to take place on Monday 19 October 2020, at 10am
Azeez Sani Head Information Unit of the organisation had said in a statement made available to.newsmen in Minna headquarters of the organisation that the examination will now hold on Monday 16 November 2020, 10am-1pm.
Sani disclosed that the decision to reschedule the Examinations followed blockage of free movement of vehicles at the City gate in Benin, the Edo state capital, hence the inability of the council vehicles to deliver the papers for the Monday Examinations.
According to the statement, “This unforeseen incident has been caused by the ENDSARS protest that blocked the free movement of transport at the City entrance gate Benin. The NECO delivery truck had left its take off point well in advance on Friday 16 October 2020, earlier to deliver examination materials to some states and has been held up in the blockage since thenâ€.
However Azeez Sani could not be reached on his cell phones to confirm the latest development.
