Education Stakeholders Demands overhaul of NECO Laws to Reflect Technological Advancements

Favour Ishember

Stakeholders in the education sector have called for a comprehensive review of the laws governing the National Examination Council (NECO) to reflect the rapidly evolving educational landscape and technological advancements.

This call was made during a one-day retreat organized by NECO in Abuja, which brought together key stakeholders, including the Niger State Governor, Mohammed Umar Bago, NECO Registrar, Professor Ibrahim Dantani Wushishi, and federal lawmakers.

The stakeholders emphasized the need for a robust legislative framework to address challenges facing NECO, including infrastructure constraints, examination malpractice, and inadequate funding.

Governor Bago, who chaired the occasion, stressed the importance of amending existing laws to accommodate technological advancements like artificial intelligence.

“This retreat is very timely and I’m very impressed that the members of National assembly are fully represented looking at what forward for examination bodies like NECO in terms of innovation, the Imperative of changing or amending our laws to be in tandem with technology, time and innovation.

“For instance, artificial intelligence has come to stay so our law must also be able to key into this technological advancements. So this retreat is timely.

“I only call on NECO and stakeholders to expand it beyond this hall so that other stakeholders will have input and also be able to come out with a robust policy and laws in order to be sent to national assembly,” the governor said.

Also speaking, NECO Registrar, Professor Wushishi, highlighted the critical need for a legislative overhaul, citing hurdles like infrastructure constraints, surge in candidate enrollment, and inadequate funding.

On his part, the Minister of State for Education, Sununu Tanko, represented by Permanent Secretary, Didi Esther Walson-Jack, urged participants to engage actively in the discussions to enable NECO effectively achieve its mandate.

“NECO plays an indispensable role in ensuring the sustainable management of our educational landscape.

“Despite the significance of the examination legislation, we cannot ignore the challenges we face, from outdated laws and validation to emerging issues like examination malpractice and digital transformation, there’s an urgent need to review and modernise the legislative framework to effectively address these challenges,” he added.

The stakeholders’ call for a review of NECO laws aims to instigate reforms that reflect the changing needs of the educational landscape and ensure the examination body remains effective in its mandate.”