School Owners Condemn NECO’s Four Figure Table

The Lagos State Chapter of School Proprietors Association has protested imposition of Four Figure  Table on candidates sitting for the May/June NECO examination by National Examinations Council of  Nigeria.

The schools proprietors said a situation whereby the examination body makes it compulsory for schools  to acquire NECO’s Four Figure Table before their candidates are registered for the examination is  uncalled for and does not speak well of the examination body.

Some of the schools proprietors who spoke with P.M.NEWS on condition of anonymity, said they are yet  to come to terms with rationale behind NECO publishing Four Figure Table and making it a prerequisite  before candidates sitting for the examination could be registered, even after examination fees have  been paid.

One of the proprietors said, “before the advent of NECO, the West African Examination Council (WAEC),  has been conducting examinations for candidates without making it compulsory to buy WAEC’s approved  Four Figure Table.

“But a situation where NECO now says that the school proprietors must get copies of four figure table  before they could register their students for its examination, is a bad omen for this examination  body,” he added.

Aside that, NECO did not make the Four Figure Table available at bookshops or where it can be easily  purchased by candidates. It is the examination body that sells directly to the school, we have never  had a situation where such occurred anywhere in the world.”

The aggrieved school owners appealed to the Federal Ministry of Education to investigate their  complaints, as well stop NECO from the imposition, which they said could lead to stopping some  students from writing the examination, even after all examination fees have been paid.

When P.M.NEWS called at the Lagos State office of the examination body, some of the officials declined  to comment on the matter and directed the reporter to the Niger State head office of the examination  body for clarification on the matter.

—Paul Sanusi