The National Examination Council (NECO) has announced that it will question the management of 40 secondary schools in 17 states for suspected mass cheating during this year’s Senior School Certificate Examination (SSCE).
NECO Registrar, Prof. Dantani Wushishi, revealed this at a press conference held in Minna, Niger State, where he also shared the 2024 SSCE results.
According to him, 8,437 students were caught cheating, a drop from last year’s 12,030 cases, showing a 30.1% decrease in malpractice.
“During the conduct of the 2024 Senior School Certificate Examinations, 40 schools were found to have been involved in whole-school (mass) cheating in 17 states. They will be invited to the council for discussion, after which appropriate sanctions will be applied,” Prof. Wushishi said.
He also mentioned that one school in Ekiti State might lose its registration due to mass cheating in two core subjects.
In addition, 21 exam supervisors from 12 states have been recommended for blacklisting due to poor supervision, helping students cheat, abandoning their duties, and other misconduct.
On a positive note, more than 60% of students who took the 2024 NECO SSCE passed both English and Mathematics.
A total of 1,376,423 students registered for the exam, with 1,367,736 students sitting for it. Out of these, 828,824 students (60.55%) got five credits, including English and Mathematics, while 1,147,597 students (83.90%) achieved five credits in any subject.
