A Senior lecturer in the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Dr Okechukwu Nwaubani, on Thursday urged the Federal Government to rescind its decision to scrap the National Examination Council (NECO).

Nwaubani of the Department of Social Science Education told newsmen in Nsukka that the council’s existence was in the interest of education.

According to him, scrapping NECO will be a setback on the present administration’s commitment to improve the quality of education in the country.

“The advent of NECO has made West African Examination Council (WAEC), to improve on organising the external examination since it knows that candidates have on other alternative.

“Scrapping of NECO may reduce the number of candidates who have access to external exams in a year.

“If NECO is scrapped the monopoly WEAC will enjoy may affect quality of external secondary school exam in the country.”

Nwaubani said that government should remember that NECO is the only exam body owned by the country since WAEC is West African body and advised government to rescind its decision to scrap NECO in the interest of quality education,” he said.

The don, however, said that scrapping the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) exam was a welcome decision.

Nwaubani noted that it would spare candidates from wasting money in sitting for JAMB as well as post-UTME exam screening adding that the step would be a boost to university autonomy.

“The public can now hold tertiary institutions responsible for their graduates since they conduct entrance exams for candidates themselves,” he said.

Also reacting to scarping of NECO, the Commissioner for Education in Enugu State, Dr Simon Ortuanya, said that there was no cause for alarm.

Ortuanya noted that government could have weighed the consequences very well before arriving at the decision.

“After all, before the establishment of NECO, WAEC was the only external exam body and it was doing well.”

According to Ortuanya, having many exam bodies is good but having an effective and reliable one is better

“I know government could have consulted widely before arriving at scrapping of NECO and stopping of JAMB exam.”

The Commissioner said that stopping of JAMB exam will give tertiary institutions full right to conduct admission exams for candidates who want to study in their institutions.

“Nigerians should support government policies since they are targeted at giving the best to citizens,” he said.