NECO Accredits Schools In Burkina Faso For SSCE, BECE
The National Examinations Council (NECO) has further extended its global reach to Burkina Faso following the successful accreditation of schools to conduct the Senior School Certificate Examination (SSCE) and the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE).
This was announced in a statement by Azeez Sani, Acting Director of Information and Public Relations, in Abuja.
According to the statement, a NECO accreditation team visited selected schools in Burkina Faso to assess their preparedness for the examinations. The team inspected classrooms, laboratories, libraries, computer labs, workshops, examination halls, sporting facilities, continuous assessment records, as well as teacher adequacy and school security.
“After a thorough evaluation and comprehensive assessment, the schools were granted full SSCE and BECE accreditation status,” the statement read.
NECO noted that the accreditation marks another milestone in its mission to deliver quality education and assessment beyond Nigeria. With an expanding global presence, the council aims to solidify its position as one of Africa’s leading examination bodies, offering access to credible assessment services for both Nigerian students and foreign nationals.
It will be recalled that NECO recently established an examination centre in London, United Kingdom, adding to its existing centres in Togo, Benin Republic, Niger Republic, Equatorial Guinea, Côte d’Ivoire, and Saudi Arabia.
In a related development, Nigeria’s Ambassador to Burkina Faso, Ambassador M.D. Galadima, commended NECO for extending its services to the country. During a courtesy visit by the accreditation team to the Nigerian Embassy in Ouagadougou, Galadima explained that Nigerian parents had long faced difficulties due to differences in educational systems and limited English-based schools in Burkina Faso.
“Previously, parents had to take their children to Saki, Oyo State, to register and write the examination, exposing them to security risks and imposing heavy financial burdens on families and school proprietors,” he said.
The ambassador added that the newly accredited schools would help eliminate such challenges and urged Nigerians living in Burkina Faso to take advantage of the opportunity by registering their children for the SSCE and BECE.
Leader of the NECO accreditation team, Dr. Uche Ezenwanne, said the move would enable Nigerian students resident in Burkina Faso to sit for both examinations without travelling to Nigeria, further strengthening NECO’s role as Africa’s foremost examination body.
