#EndSARS: NECO postpones exams indefinitely

The National Examinations Council (NECO) has postponed the ongoing Senior Secondary Certificate Examinations (SSCE) indefinitely following the crisis in the country over the #EndSARS protests.

The development was announced in a statement by Azeez Sani, NECO’s spokesperson, in Minna, capital of Niger state, on Sunday.

According to the statement, the decision was reached by the governing board of the council last Thursday after it reviewed the conduct of the on-going 2020 examination nationwide.

“The Council had in a press release, dated 21st October 2020, informed the general public of rescheduling some papers of the 202 0 on-going SSCE,” the statement read.

“Arising from that meeting, today (Sunday) the Governing Board resolved that the 2020 SSCE (Internal) be postponed indefinitely in view of the current security challenges, occasioned by the ENDSARS protests, which disrupted the smooth conduct of the examinations in some parts of the country.

“In making this decision, the Board noted that due to these security challenges, some state governments imposed curfew and closed schools in order to safeguard lives and property;

“In the circumstances, it has become difficult for the council to move examination materials across the country and students in the affected locations were unable to sit for the papers already scheduled in the examination timetable.

“The Governing Board further resolved that when normalcy returns, the Council will continue with the conduct of the examinations in all States.

“While regretting any inconveniences this postponement may cause our esteemed stakeholders, the Council has however taken this decision in order to maintain the integrity and security of its examination procedures for seamless conduct of the Council’s examination.”

The exams were initially postponed until November 16.

The #EndSARS protests started as a campaign against misconducts of the now-disbanded special anti-robbery squad (SARS) and expanded focus to overall police reform.

It was, however, hijacked by hoodlums with violence erupting in some parts of the country. Government buildings, private properties, media houses, and vehicles were either looted or destroyed in the process.