National Examinations Council has granted accreditation to schools in Burkina Faso to conduct its examinations, thus widening the examination body’s international footprint.
NECO spoke in a statement yesterday in Abuja by Acting Director of Information and Public Relations, Azeez Sani.
The statement said the council would now conduct Senior School Certificate Examination (SSCE) and Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) in the country.
It said the move followed a comprehensive assessment visit by a NECO accreditation team to selected schools in the West African country.
The statement reads: “During the visit, the team inspected classrooms, laboratories, libraries, computer laboratories, workshops, examination halls, sports facilities, and security architecture.
“They reviewed the schools’ Continuous Assessment (CA), records, teacher adequacy, and learning environment to determine suitability for NECO examinations.
“After ‘a thorough and detailed evaluation’, the schools were granted full accreditation to host the SSCE and BECE.”
It noted the expansion into Burkina Faso underscored NECO’s commitment to delivering quality education and assessment beyond Nigeria.
“With its expanding global presence, NECO is poised to become a leading examination body in Africa, offering opportunities for Nigerian students and other foreign nationals to benefit from its expertise,” the statement added.
NECO recalled establishment of an examination centre in London, UK, adding to centres in Togo, Benin, Niger, Equatorial Guinea, Côte d’Ivoire, and Saudi Arabia.
Nigeria’s Ambassador to Burkina Faso, M. D. Galadima, hailed NECO for the expansion, saying it is a relief for Nigerian families in the country.
Galadima said parents had grappled with challenges arising from differences in educational systems and the lack of English language schools.
“Parents take their children to Saki, Oyo State, to register and write the examination, exposing pupils and parents to security risks and imposing burdens on families and school proprietors,” he said.
The envoy said the accreditation would eliminate these risks and reduce financial strain on parents.
Galadima urged the Nigerian community in Burkina Faso to register their children for NECO examinations.
Leader of the accreditation team, Dr Uche Ezenwanne, said the move would enable Nigerian students living in Burkina Faso to write the SSCE and BECE without having to travel back to Nigeria.
This move, he said, would reinforce NECO’s position as Africa’s foremost examination body.
