By Augustine Okezie
Abuja
Supervising Minister of Education, Barrister Nyesom Wike, has said that this year’s admission into Unity Colleges would be strictly based on merit in line with government’s promise to ensure that 60 per cent of admissions into Federal Government Colleges were not compromised.
Wike sated this at the weekend when he monitored the ongoing common entrance in some schools in the FCT, conducted by the National Examinations Council (NECO).
The minister, who was represented by the Director, Basic and Secondary in the Ministry of Education, Mr Daniel Uwaezuoke, consequently directed NECO to conduct another test for candidates who passed the common entrance examination.
He said the increase in enrolment this year was an indication that NECO was getting to perfection in conducting examinations and that parents were beginning to have confidence in the body.
Also speaking, the Registrar of NECO, Prof. Promise Okpala reiterated government’s resolve to ensure not only access but quality in enrolment at all levels of education.
He said a total number of 95,926 candidates registered for the Common Entrance Examination into Federal Government Colleges in 2014 as against 88,444 in 2013.
The Registrar said 18,726 candidates registered for the examination in the FCT alone, while Lagos state had the highest number of enrolment with 26,926 candidates.
He disclosed that there was, however, a decrease in some Northern states where Borno registered 218, Yobe 176 and Adamawa 318.
Zamfara state, he said however, recorded the lowest number of enrolment with only 113 candidates.
