Federal Government Has Concluded Plans To Scrap/Cancel NECO and UTME

Federal Government has concluded arrangements to scrap the National
Examination Council.

Plans have also been concluded to cancel the Unified Tertiary
Matriculation Examination being conducted by the Joint Admission and
Matriculation Board for applicants into the nation's tertiary
institutions.

JAMB will however not be scrapped.

The government's decisions, which would be made public soon via a
White Paper, are based on the recommendations of the Stephen
Oronsaye-led Presidential Committee on the Rationalisation and
Restructuring of Federal Government Parastatals, Commissions and
Agencies.

A government source told our correspondent that the decisions were
part of the recommendations made by a White Paper Committee set up by
the government on the Oronsaye report.

The source added that upon receipt of the latest report, President
Goodluck Jonathan has been meeting with Vice-President Namadi Sambo
and a few top government officials to take final decisions on it.

It was in one of such meetings held on Tuesday that the final decision
was taken.

Under the new arrangement, the source said in place of UTME,
authorities of all tertiary institutions would now be at liberty to
conduct their entrance examinations as they had been doing for
post-UTME.

JAMB will however serve as a clearing house.

"JAMB will now be a clearing house like Universities and Colleges
Admissions Service in the UK. If somebody gains admission into three
universities and holds down space, immediately such person picks his
first choice, JAMB's system will automatically free the remaining two
slots for other applicants.

"JAMB will no longer conduct examinations but it will be setting the
standard alongside the schools authorities," the source said.

UCAS, which was established in 1993, is the British admission service
for students applying to university and college, including post-16
education as of 2012. UCAS is primarily funded by students who pay a
fee when they apply and a capitation fee from universities for each
student they accept.

On NECO, the source said in arriving at the decision to scrap the
examination body, the committee took into cognizance its huge
facilities across the country.

But it was resolved thatthe West African Examination Council would
absorb NECO's members of staff and its facilities.

WAEC will also be empowered to conduct two Senior Secondary School
Certificate Examinations per year, one in January and the other
probably in December.

Hitherto, only one November/December SSCE Examination is being conducted.

The May/June Senior Secondary Certificate Examination being organised
by the examination body oncein a year still stands.

The government sourcealso said arrangements had been concluded to
scrap the Public Complaint Commission, the National Poverty
Eradication Programmeand the Institute of Peace and Conflict
Resolution among others.
Source:http://www.punchng.com/news/fg-set-to-scrap-neco-cancels-utme/