Scrapping Of NECO, UTME Will Take Education Sector Backward – Senate

The Senate has described the recent intention of the Federal Government to scrap the National Examination Council (NECO) and the UTME as a continuity of the pattern of policy somersaults that have consistently limited progress in the education sector.

Making the Senate’s position known on the matter, Chairman, Senate Committee on Education, Senator Uche Chukwumerije, in a statement made available on Sunday, entitled “RE: Reported Scrapping of NECO and UTME”, argued that if the proposed scrapping should sail through, it does not require a seer to forecast a new swirl of reversals in the education sector in the next five years.

He said the scrapping would exacerbate, rather than dealing with some of the identified key problems in the sector, including access, quality, funding and institutional management.

According to him, the basic problems stunting growth in the education sector were unrelated to the current intention of Government to scrap NECO and UTME.

“It is my view that government should open the subject up to full discussion in order that the best interest of Nigeria and its teeming student population is primarily served.

“On resumption from the Easter and non-plenary session recess, the Senate Committee on Education will meet to formally examine the full implications of the government intention”, he said.