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The Federal Government has inaugurated new 70 operational vehicles for the National Examination Council (NECO) to enhance conduct of the Council’s examinations and ensure security and promote distribution of examination materials.
The government also commissioned the multi-million naira NECO Scanning Centre, equipped with the state-of-the-art Optical Mark Reader (OMR) technology, a cutting-edge software to ensure efficient grading of students and candidates in its various examinations.
The projects which were inaugurated by the Minister of Education, Prof Tahir Mammm, also include NECO’s Driver’s Pool, a block of three classrooms for the Senior Secondary component of NECO Staff School, and a Data Centre.
The minister, who was represented by the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Education, Mr David Andrew Adejo, applauded the Registrar of NECO, Prof. Dantani Wushishi for the innovative measures introduced to ensure the credibility of the assessment process, saying the five distinct projects being commissioned were critical to effective functioning and realization of the mandate of the Council.
He expressed the commitment of the current administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to transform the education sector in the country.
Mamman said the purchase of the logistics vehicles for ease of transportation examination materials would substantially address the challenge of leakage of examination question papers as witnessed in the past.
The NECO Registrar, Prof. Wushishi, on his part, expressed commitment to providing quality assessment and ensuring the integrity of the nation’s secondary school examinations.
He explained that logistics vehicles were a crucial component of the examination infrastructure, serving as a dedicated fleet of vehicles designed specifically for the transportation of essential examination materials, such as question papers and answer booklets.
Wushishi, who reeled out various achievements of his administration in the last two and half years, said there is now a timely release of results of all NECO examinations and robust welfare packages for staff of the Council.
He added that the specialized vehicles were equipped with stringent security measures, making them an integral part of maintaining the confidentiality and integrity of the examination process
Wushishi explained that the establishment and equipping of the NECO data centre and scanning centre represented a crucial step towards modernization and efficiency.
“Establishing and Equipping the NECO Data Centre and Scanning Centre in the era of digitalization, data management, and security is paramount.
“This facility will house our sensitive examination data, ensuring its integrity and safeguarding it from unauthorized access. Additionally, the scanning centre will expedite the processing of examination scripts, leading to faster result releases.
“These remarkable achievements are not merely the culmination of our efforts. They serve as a springboard propelling us towards even greater heights.
“We are committed to continuous improvement and innovation, constantly seeking ways to enhance our services and uphold the highest standards of integrity and excellence in our operations.
“Furthermore, in our drive to overcome our challenges of inadequate state offices, I am delighted to announce the ongoing construction of three new NECO state offices in Gombe, Katsina, and Kogi states.
“Currently, at 70% completion, these offices are being constructed using NECO’s internally generated revenue (IGR), representing a significant step forward in our efforts to modernize our infrastructure and enhance service delivery.
“The new office projects also testify to NECO’s financial prudence and our commitment to efficient resource management. We will soon invite the Honourable Minister to commission the new offices,” he stated.
The NECO boss lamented that for more than 15 years, the Council had yet to receive any appropriation for capital projects, disclosing however, that the National Assembly has now appropriated for NECO to construct seven additional state offices in Nasarawa, Rivers, Lagos, Sokoto, Taraha, Jigawa, and Abia states.
