Lagos on Monday began Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) and Computer Based Test (CBT) into the state model colleges and upgraded junior secondary schools.
Mrs Tokunboh Adeleye, Permanent Secretary, Lagos State Ministry of Education, announced the commencement at the Lagos State Examination Board Complex, Iyana-Ipaja.
She said the CBT examination into model colleges would hold from July 15 to July 19 at the complex.
Adeleye said that BECE would hold from July 15 to July 23 in all junior secondary schools in the state.
“We are here today to start the Basic Education Certificate Examination for our students. It is actually the final examination normally held for them to transit from the junior to senior secondary school.
“Also, we have the screening test for placement of students into our specialised schools – model colleges and upgraded schools.
“Today, we are starting both examinations. The students have commenced the CBT examination and BECE is going on at the same time in all our schools in all education districts,” she told journalists.
The permanent secretary said BECE was also to determine students’ strength in terms of subjects selection.
“The examination has taken off very smoothly, the students are ready and at their designated desks.
“Those having the CBT test will be having mathematics and English language. The process has commenced, and everything is going on fine,’’ she said.
She urged parents to encourage their children to learn Information and Communication Technology (ICT) as well as provide all necessary support for them to excel.
Dr Oluwafemi Hassan, Registrar/Director of the board said that 11,000 pupils would sit for both CBT and Paper, Pencil and Table (PPT) examinations into the model colleges and upgraded schools.
Hassan said that 127 pupils opted for CBT mode of examination during registration and were shortlisted.
The registrar said that the pupils would be tested on mathematics and English language in a two-hour paper, each.
According to Hassan, candidates would not be able to cheat because the questions were randomised 38,000 times for both the CBT and PPT modes.
He said the board also randomhise answers in order to make it difficult for candidates to cheat.
The director said the CBT examination would accommodate pupils from five divisions – Ikeja, Badagry, Ikorodu, Lagos Island and Epe.
He said there was significant increase in the number of pupils opting for the CBT mode since 2016.
“The importance of this is that we are now falling in line with the world. We are in the 21st century and everything is ICT driven; we don’t want to be left behind.
“Lagos State, being a trailblazer, has started it.
“The beautiful thing today is we are having it in a double way, today we kick-start BECE, a terminal examination for students completing the nine years’ compulsory basic education.
“The two examinations are running concurrently in the whole state today,’’ he said.
Hassan said the government had made provision for special pupils – physically challenged.
“We have also made provisions for children living with albinism; we have made their questions very bold so that they will not strain their eyes.
“We have made provisions for the deaf and dumb, we have interpreters for them for the PPT examination on July 20.
“We have made efforts to accommodate every special child during the examination,” he told journalists.
The registrar said the state government had approved the decentralisation of the examination centre to the five senatorial districts from 2020.
“We have 127 pupils sitting for this examination this year as against 77 pupils in 2018, while we had 52 in 2017 as against 30 in 2016.
“This is the last examination we will hold here, ’’ he said.
