The National Examinations Council, NECO, has officially expanded its presence to Burkina Faso, following the successful accreditation of schools to conduct the Senior School Certificate Examination, SSCE and the Basic Education Certificate Examination, BECE.
According to Mr. Azeez Sani, Acting Director of Information and Public Relations at NECO, the Council’s accreditation team conducted thorough assessments of prospective schools, evaluating classrooms, laboratories, libraries, computer facilities, workshops, examination halls, sports infrastructure, continuous assessment processes, teacher adequacy, and school security. Following the evaluations, the schools were granted full SSCE and BECE accreditation status.
“The accreditation of schools in Burkina Faso underscores NECO’s commitment to delivering quality education and assessment beyond Nigeria’s borders,” Sani said.
The expansion allows Nigerian students, as well as other foreign nationals in Burkina Faso, to sit for NECO examinations locally, eliminating the need to travel to Nigeria and mitigating associated financial and security risks.
Ambassador of Nigeria to Burkina Faso, M.D. Galadima, commended NECO for the initiative, noting that Nigerian parents previously faced challenges due to differences in the educational system and the scarcity of English-based schools.
“Previously, parents had to take their children to Saki, Oyo State, to register and write examinations, exposing students and parents to security risks and heavy financial burdens,” he said.
On his part, the leader of the NECO accreditation team, Dr. Uche Ezenwanne, stated that the move will strengthen NECO’s position as Africa’s foremost examination body, providing convenient access to quality assessment for Nigerians living abroad.
This latest accreditation builds on NECO’s expanding international footprint, which already includes examination centers in London, Togo, Benin Republic, Niger Republic, Equatorial Guinea, Cote d’Ivoire, and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
