Schools in Burkina Faso to write NECO exams

Examinations body expands global presence

By John Adams, Minna

All is now set for schools in the West African country, Burkina Faso, to write the Senior School Certificate Examination (SSCE) and the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) conducted by the National Examinations Council (NECO). This follows the successful accreditation of schools in the country, as the examinations body continues to expand its global presence across African countries and beyond.

In a statement released by the Director of Information and Public Relations, Mallam Azeez Sani, NECO confirmed that its accreditation team had visited the schools to assess their readiness to host SSCE and BECE. Mallam Sani disclosed that the team inspected facilities including classrooms, laboratories, libraries, computer laboratories, workshops, examination halls, sports facilities, continuous assessment (CA) procedures, as well as the adequacy of teachers and school security to determine their suitability and preparedness for NECO examinations.

After a thorough evaluation and comprehensive assessment, the schools were granted full SSCE and BECE accreditation status.

He stated that the accreditation of schools in Burkina Faso demonstrates NECO’s commitment to providing quality education and assessment beyond the shores of 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 worldwide to benefit from its expertise, thus contributing to the advancement of education in Africa and beyond,” he added.

It may be recalled that NECO recently established an examination centre in London, United Kingdom, in addition to existing centres in Togo, Benin Republic, Niger Republic, Equatorial Guinea, Côte d’Ivoire, and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

In a related development, the Ambassador of Nigeria to Burkina Faso, Ambassador M.D. Galadima, commended NECO for expanding its global presence to Burkina Faso. Galadima made the commendation during a courtesy visit by the NECO accreditation team to the Nigerian Embassy in Ouagadougou. He revealed that Nigerian parents in Burkina Faso had long faced challenges due to differences in educational systems and a lack of English-based schools in the country.

He said, “Previously, parents had to take their children to Saki, Oyo State, to register and write the examination, exposing students and parents to security risks during travel and placing a heavy financial burden on families and school proprietors.”

The ambassador noted that the accreditation of schools in Burkina Faso will help eliminate such risks and financial burdens for both parents and school owners. He urged the Nigerian community in Burkina Faso to take advantage of the opportunity provided by NECO by registering their children for the SSCE and BECE.

Earlier, the leader of NECO’s accreditation team, Dr Uche Ezenwanne, said the accreditation of schools in Burkina Faso will provide Nigerian students resident in the country the opportunity to write both SSCE and BECE without travelling back to Nigeria, thereby strengthening NECO’s position as Africa’s foremost examination body.