The House of Representatives has passed through second reading, a bill which seeks to make national common entrance examination compulsory.
Sponsored by Julius Ihonvbere (APC, Edo) the proposed legislation intends to repeal the National Examinations Council (NECO) Act, 2004 and enact a new law to make the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BSCE) and the Senior Secondary Certificate Examination (Internal) (SSCE) compulsory for every Nigerian child.
In his debate, Ihonvbere said the bill seeks amendments to Subsection 7 (c) of the principal act, to read:“the general control and conduct of the National Common Entrance Examination (NCEE) which shall be mandatory for all Nigerian pupils in the final year of their primary education who seek admission into the Federal Government Colleges and other allied institutions; and every Nigerian child resident outside Nigeria who desires to register and sit for the said examination.”
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The Bill also seeks alteration of Sections 7 and subsections (d) and (f) by replacing “Suleja Academy” with “Federal Government Academy, Suleja” and replicating the same wherever Suleja Academy appears in the Act.
Other key amendments include, “Alteration of Section 7 subsection (g) by striking out “Junior Secondary School Certificate Examination” and inserting “Basic Education Certificate Examination and replicating the same wherever Junior Secondary School Certificate Examination appears in the entire Act, the explanatory note(s), the schedule thereto and all other relevant parts.
“Amendment of section 7 sub-section (h) to read:“the general control of the conduct of the Senior Secondary Certificate Examination (Internal) which shall be compulsory for all Nigerian students in all Federal Government Colleges, Federal Government Academy, Suleja, all public and private secondary schools in Nigeria; and every Nigerian child resident outside Nigeria who desires to register and sit for the said examination.
“Amendment of section 7 subsection (h) to remove in total, the clause “without prejudice to the existing powers and functions of the West Africa Examinations Council” in section 7 subsection (h) and everywhere the clause appears in the remaining parts of the Act.”
