The National Examinations Council has deployed cutting-edge software to ensure efficient grading of students/candidates in its various examinations.
The Registrar/Chief Executive of NECO, Professor Dantani Ibrahim Wushishi, stated this in a press statement issued to mark his one year in office which he was appointed on July 12, 2021, by President Buhari.
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.
He said, “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, I 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 to determine precisely real values for subjects after our exams.
“We had a workshop for that, and we were able to now deploy standard software to determine grade and marking.”
He also lamented that the initial placement of NECO on the list of ministries, departments and agencies that remit 25 per cent 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 when it was on the list, adding that the exam body needs money to meet its obligations.
“From 2021 to June (this year), the minister of finance has deducted from NECO’s Treasury Single Account the total of N6,023,145,000:23K,” he revealed.