The NECO 2024 SSCE rankings have been released, revealing that Abia State secured the highest performance rate, while Katsina State fell to the bottom. Out of the 1,376,423 students registered, 1,367,736 actually took part in the exams, and 60.55% of these candidates achieved five credits, including both Mathematics and English Language, according to the National Examination Council (NECO).
During a press conference held at NECO headquarters in Minna, Niger State, the council’s Registrar, Professor Dantana Wushishi, shared that 828,284 candidates met the five-credit requirement in core subjects like English and Mathematics. Additionally, a broader performance metric indicated that 83.90% of the students, or 1,147,597 candidates, obtained five credits in any subjects, irrespective of these two core subjects.
The breakdown of the NECO 2024 SSCE rankings by state revealed that Abia State came out on top, with 83.40% of its candidates scoring five credits including Mathematics and English Language. On the other end of the spectrum, Katsina State ranked last, with only 42% of its candidates achieving the same result. The report also highlighted that Abia led further with 95.84% of candidates earning five credits in subjects excluding English and Mathematics.
Despite this strong performance, Wushishi disclosed that exam malpractice remained a concern, with 8,437 cases recorded this year, though this was a notable decrease from the 12,030 cases reported in 2023, marking a 30.1% reduction. He added that 40 schools were found guilty of mass cheating across 17 states, and 21 supervisors faced penalties, including blacklisting, for misconduct such as poor supervision, aiding malpractice, and even abscondment.
Among students with special needs, there were 2,267 candidates, including those with hearing and visual impairments, albinism, autism, and low vision. This year’s NECO exams also witnessed the de-recognition of one school in Ekiti State due to mass cheating in core subjects.
Professor Wushishi’s breakdown of the NECO 2024 SSCE rankings underscores Abia’s leadership in educational performance, while Katsina and other underperforming states face significant challenges in improving their academic standards.
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