NATIONAL Examinations Council (NECO) has stated that the closure of its registration portal was not done to undermine registrants and schools from participating in the ongoing 2020 Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE).

Azez Sani, Head, Information and Public Relations Division of the Council, in a statement on Wednesday explained that some candidates and schools failed to take the advantage of the extension of the date of registration for the examination.

This follows complaints from parents and schools who lamented that their wards were denied access to the portal to register for the examination that commenced on Monday, August 24.

Sani said despite extending the closure of the registration to 12 midnight of Friday, August 21, some entrants and schools failed to make use of the extension to complete their registrations.

“NECO wishes to state that adequate opportunity was provided well in advance for all schools to register their candidates,” he said.

“This was given that some schools and/or candidates may have faced difficulties in the course of the registrations. Due largely to this and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Council extended the duration for registration to 12 midnight of Friday, 21st August 2020. The extension was widely publicized through various platforms. The aim was largely to accommodate late registration,” he explained.

“It is regrettable that despite these measures, some schools failed to complete the registration or enrollment processes. It is therefore instructive to restate that the closure of the Portal on the said date was not punitive or designed to undermine registrants and schools.”

He further stated that the closure was to enable NECO to make adequate preparations for the examination and not a punitive measure against anyone.

“It was however to allow the Council produce and distribute materials to Examination Centers for seamless conduct of the exercise.”

Sani however assured the public of the Councils commitment to effective and efficient conduct of all examinations within its statutory mandates and promised continous engagement of all stakeholders as may be appropriate.