The 2018 Common Entrance Examination organised by the National Examinations Council (NECO) witnessed higher enrolment of 79,887 candidates compared to the 2017 edition with an enrolment of 78,378.
Nigeria’s Minister of State for Education, Anthony Anwukah, disclosed this in Abuja on Saturday while monitoring some of the examination centres in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
He also said that candidates with special needs were given adequate consideration.
EduCeleb.com reports that the Common Entrance Exam is written by prospective students for the Junior Secondary School (JSS) 1 into the 104 Unity Colleges in the country. The candidates sat for the examination at designated exam venues across the country.
Mr Anwukah noted that the examinations were conducted in good environments, while commending NECO for a hitch-free exercise.
According to him, the exam is taking place all over the country unlike that of 2017 in which the examinations were restricted in Borno and Adamawa states due to security fears in the Boko Haram threatened region.
“I came here to find out whether the exam is going on well and whether the candidates are well accommodated and the environment is good enough for them to take the exams.
“And I have just confirmed that. They are doing the exam in a conducive atmosphere. I am also impressed with what I am seeing here.
He added that the number of successful candidates in the examination would determine the number of candidates to be admitted into the government secondary schools nationwide.
Also, the Registrar of NECO, Charles Uwakwe, assured all that the examination was ongoing across the country, with adequate security in place.
He said the examination recorded the highest enrolment of pupils from Lagos State with 25, 800, while Zamfara state has the lowest enrolment of 28.
“In my assessment, the enrolment is very satisfactory and the minister insisted that as matters of principle, we must keep the doors opened so that nobody will be disenfranchised.
“There is no problem of enrollment in Borno State. They even had the head start in the Northeast.
“79,887 is the current figure of enrolment. The state with the highest enrolment is Lagos with 25,800 enrolments and the lowest is Zamfara.
The minister added that there was also provision for students with special needs, saying that “when the documentation was done, we tried to put them into consideration”.
He added that the ministry would determine the number of candidates to be admitted based on their performances in the examination.
EduCeleb.com monitored the examination across a few locations and reported that the conduct went on smoothly as officials went on with the coordination of activities in the centres while security officials’ presences ensured decorum.
A large turn out of pupils wearing their school uniforms was also observed as parents and guardians were seen waiting patiently for their children and wards to finish their papers.
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