2024 NCEE: NECO Records Drop In Common Entrance Candidates
The NECO boss attributed the low registration in 2024 to economic factors as the exam body had slightly raised the registration fee and parents, who are grappling with the effect of the economy, were responsible for sponsoring candidates at this level.
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A total of 70,603 candidates sat for the 2024 National Common Entrance Examination, NCEE, conducted on Saturday, into the 110 Unity Colleges nationwide. This year’s figure is notably slightly below the 72,000 candidates who sat for the exam in 2023.
The Registrar of NECO, Prof Dantani Wushishi, disclosed this while monitoring the exercise on Saturday, at Model Secondary School, Maitama and Government Day Secondary School, Wuse 2 Abuja.
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Wushishi said the examination was conducted in 599 centres across the country.
While giving a breakdown of candidates’ participation by gender, he said, “33,335 males registered for the 2024 NCEE, while 37,268 females registered for the exercise totalling 70,603.”
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He lamented that the 2024 registration was lower than that of 2023 which had 34,064 males and 38,801 females, totalling 72,865.
The NECO boss attributed the low registration in 2024 to economic factors as the exam body had slightly raised the registration fee and parents, who are grappling with the effect of the economy, were responsible for sponsoring candidates at this level.
“For the males and females, last year’s registration was higher than this year’s registration this could be attributed to so many factors; economic factor is the most prevalent factor that maybe could hinder this large registration,” he said.
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On her part, the Permanent Secretary Federal Ministry of Education, Didi Walson-Jack, who gave a general assessment of the conduct of the exercise, expressed satisfaction with what NECO has put in place to ensure a smooth and seamless exercise.
Walson-Jack disclosed that there were 55 centres writing the NCE in the FCT, stating that everything went on smoothly and students were placed in conducive examination halls to sit for the exercise.
