Alausa applauds NECO’s CBT drive, says council now better positioned for credible Exams
By Uji A Iliyasu, Abuja
The Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, has commended the National Examinations Council (NECO) for its aggressive deployment of technology, particularly its transition to Computer-Based Examinations (CBE), saying the reforms have significantly strengthened the council’s capacity to conduct credible examinations.
The Minister gave the commendation at a meeting with the National Association of Proprietors of Private Schools (NAPPPS) and other education stakeholders, where he praised the leadership of NECO Registrar, Prof. Dantani Wushishi, for driving what he described as a remarkable transformation of the examination body.
“I can tell you today, with all unequivocation, NECO is better placed. NECO conducts better exams. NECO uses better technology,” Alausa said,
describing the council’s swift embrace of computer-based testing as “amazing.”
The Minister said NECO’s ability to adapt quickly to new technologies was one of the reasons the Federal Government backed Wushishi’s continued leadership of the council, insisting the decision was based on performance rather than patronage.
“We’ve worked with him, we’ve got him to where we want, he’s doing so well, why do we have to change him? This thing is not about patronage to us. It’s about value,” he said.
His endorsement comes against the backdrop of NECO’s broader digital transformation, which includes online registration, biometric verification, computer-based testing for selected examinations, digital certificates and automated grading, as the Federal Government drives the gradual conversion of NECO examinations from the traditional Paper-Pencil Test (PPT) to Computer-Based Examination (CBE) to improve efficiency and tackle malpractice.
Alausa said the increasing use of technology was particularly important in the fight against examination malpractice, which he described as one of the most serious threats to the integrity of Nigeria’s education system. “Before we came, the acceptance of examination malpractice, cheating and examination leakages in this country was mind-boggling, and the country accepted it. It was a nightmare,” he said, noting that examination questions were allegedly being obtained for as little as N3,000 before the current NECO administration began implementing reforms to strengthen examination security.
He warned that continued tolerance of malpractice risked undermining students who genuinely prepared for examinations, creating a system in which honesty becomes a disadvantage.
“The danger was that the good students would also become bad,” Alausa said, urging parents, teachers, school proprietors, principals, invigilators and students to support efforts to restore integrity to public examinations.
The commendation comes as NECO continues to expand its international footprint, conducting examinations in at least eight countries and providing Nigerian curriculum-based examinations for schools and candidates in the diaspora. The council, which recently marked its 25th anniversary, says its examinations have impacted almost 35 million Nigerians since its establishment.
Wushishi has repeatedly pledged to deepen NECO’s investment in technology, human capital and institutional processes while strengthening fairness, credibility and integrity in examination administration.
The Federal Government also believes measures such as serial numbering of examination question papers will further help reduce the risk of question-paper leakages before examinations.