By Ishaya Ibrahim, News Editor
The Federal Government on Wednesday made good its promise to announce dates for other national examinations after it announced on Monday that the 2020 West African Examination Council (WAEC) will commence on August 17.
To achieve the goal, secondary schools were mandated to reopen on August 4, 2020 for students in exit classes to sit for the examinations. That will give the students a two-week window to prepare.
Then, on Wednesday, the government upped the ante when it announced that the Senior Secondary School Certificate Examinations (SSCE) organised by the National Examination Council (NECO) for SS3 students will commence on October 5 and end on November 18, 2020.
The government also said the National Business and Technical Examination Board (NABTEB) examinations will start on September 21 and end by October 15, 2020.
Minister of State for Education, Emeka Nwajuiba, announced the dates at the end of a two-day meeting with Chief Executives of examination bodies in the country.
In a statement by the Director of Press and Public Relations, Federal Ministry of Education (FMoE), Ben Goong, titled, ‘FG Rolls Out Schedule For National Examination,’ the ministry said the the National Common Entrance Examination (NCEE) into Unity Colleges will hold on October 17, 2020.
“The National Common Entrance Examination (NCEE) which is a one-day examination for intending applicants into Unity Colleges (JSS1) will run in between the Senior Secondary School Examinations i.e. on Saturday, 17th October 2020.
“The minister, therefore, directed all examination bodies to release details of their examination timetables in the next seven days.”
The ministry also said the Basic Education Certificate Examinations, (BECE) for JSS 3 pupils also conducted by NECO, will start on the August 24 and end on the September 7, 2020.
The statement said registration for the NECO (SSCE), which is on-going, will end on September 10, 2020 with no option of extension.
Schools in the country have been shut since March due to the coronavirus pandemic which has killed more than 800 patients so far.
