The National Examinations Council, NECO, has deployed cutting-edge software to ensure efficient grading of students/candidates in its various examinations.
Registrar/Chief Executive of NECO, Professor Dantani Ibrahim Wushishi, made this known in Minna during a press briefing to mark one year in office.
Recall that the Professor of Science Education, was appointed as the Registrar of NECO on 12 July, 2021 by President Muhammadu Buhari following the death of his predecessor, Prof Godswill Obioma.
Speaking on the new grading system, Wushishi, who listed several achievements recorded since assuming office, said the software would ensure precise grade value for every subject.
“One of the innovations that will bring to bear in the conduct of the examination is determining the way and manner we determine the grade number, which relates to the allocation of grades for various subjects to students.
“Formerly it was done manually and there are processes that are followed in doing that manually but when I came felt it is necessary to align ourselves and some of our operations with the in-thing, which is technology, and we felt there is need for us to have a software that will enable us determine precisely real values for subjects after our exams. So, we had a workshop for that and we were able to now deploy standard software to determine grade and marking.”
He lamented that the initial placement of NECO on the list of Ministries, Departments and Agencies, MDAs, that remit 25 percent of generated revenue to government coffers, took a toll on the exam body’s activities.
Wushishi said though NECO was removed from the list in June 2022, over N6 billion was deducted from its Treasury Single Account, TSA, when it was on the list, adding that the exam body needs money to meet its obligations.
“From 2021 to date, to June (this year), the Minister of Finance has deducted from NECO’s Treasury Single Account, the total of N6,023,145,000:23K.
“We also need to pursue that this money removed, that the 50percent is supposed to be taken as operating surplus and give us the rest to settle our debts, so we have another battle for the reconciliation.”
Asked on the issue of debts owed to the Council by some state governments, Wushishi revealed that NECO has recovered parts of the money but lamented that over N2 billion still remain unpaid.
“When you talk about the issue of debts, we have done a lot, we have recovered some, some states are still indebted to the Council to the tune of over N2 billion. This is for over so many years, from 2012 till date. We are making efforts and some states are responding,” he said.
