NECO scraps use of scratch cards

The National Examination Council, NECO, has scrapped the use of scratch cards for the conduct of its Senior Secondary Certificate Examination.

Instead, the board said it had procured 8,000 biometric machines for registration of candidates during the conduct of its examinations.

NECO’s Board Chairman, Dr Abubakar Saddiq, stated this during the commissioning of the equipment and unveiling of 20 Toyota Hilux Vans purchased by the agency, in Minna on Friday.

He said the biometric machines would help to tackle the challenges of impersonation experienced in the conduct of its examinations.

Saddiq said: “In the last people have to buy scratch cards in order to register for NECO examination. That is out. No more scratch cards. People (will) register online and they (will) be given a code and they will go ahead to register.

“As they register, their biometrics are captured. Every school is on a particular biometric data capturing machine. Every data is captured on that small machine.

“It is impossible for anybody to impersonate a candidate during our exams because the captured data is on our platform.”

NECO’s Acting Registrar, Mr. Abubakar Gana, said that the equipment were procured to enhance operations in the areas of logistics and overall security of its examination.

According to him, NECO had been making use of scratch cards to register over 51,000 candidates for each of its examinations in the past which had not enabled the agency to curb malpractices.

According to him, the 8,000 biometrics machine cost the council N500 million while the 20 Toyota Hilux gulped N327, 800,000.