The National Examinations Council (NECO) has announced the expansion of its global presence to Burkina Faso after successfully accrediting schools in the country to conduct the Senior School Certificate Examination (SSCE) and the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE). The announcement was made on Sunday following a detailed accreditation exercise carried out by the NECO Team.
According to NECO, the accreditation team visited the schools to assess their readiness to host the examinations. The team inspected classrooms, laboratories, libraries, computer laboratories, workshops, examination halls, sports facilities and Continuous Assessment records. They also reviewed the adequacy of teachers and overall school security to determine suitability for NECO examinations. After a thorough evaluation, the schools were granted full SSCE and BECE accreditation status.
NECO stated that the accreditation of the schools in Burkina Faso reflects its commitment to providing quality education and assessment beyond Nigeria. With its expanding reach, the council aims to strengthen its position as a leading examination body in Africa, creating opportunities for Nigerian students and foreign nationals worldwide to benefit from its expertise. The council noted that this step contributes to the advancement of education in Africa and other regions.
It would be recalled that NECO recently established an examination centre in London, United Kingdom, adding to existing centres in Togo, Benin Republic, Niger Republic, Equatorial Guinea, Cote 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 extending its activities to the country. During a courtesy visit by the accreditation team to the Nigerian Embassy in Ouagadougou, the Ambassador explained that Nigerian parents in Burkina Faso had long struggled with differences in the educational system and the lack of English-based schools. He stated that previously, parents had to take their children to Saki, Oyo State to register and write the examination, adding that this exposed families to security risks and placed a heavy financial burden on both parents and school proprietors.
Galadima noted that the new accreditation will remove these challenges and reduce travel-related risks for students and families. He urged the Nigerian community in Burkina Faso to take advantage of the opportunity by registering their children for SSCE and BECE.
The leader of the NECO Accreditation Team, Dr. Uche Ezenwanne, said the accreditation will allow Nigerian students living in Burkina Faso to write the examinations without returning to Nigeria, further strengthening NECO’s position as Africa’s foremost examination body.
