The National Examination Council (NECO) over the weekend scrapped the use of Scratch cards in is examination with the procurement of 8,000 biometric capturing machines worth N500 million. Speaking in an interview with Journalists at NECO headquarter in Minna at the weekend, the Chairman of Governing Council Abubakar Sadiq said the scratched cards were eliminated because it became a source of financial leakage in NECO and also racketeering.

He explained that the racketeers are hoarding cards and students find it difficult to get the cards. “So we removed scratch card and now with biometric machines people can use their handset to register for the examination and whatever is realised goes straight into our Treasury Single Account (TSA) account, so it will also boast transparency,” Sadiq said.

He said they want to pass out the benefit of the reduction which the president has made to their own students otherwise they will be cheated.

According to him, the machines will capture every data from every student and school so on examination day, “our monitors will go to schools so all those who have registered will go through a process by placing their finger on the machine to ascertain if they are the candidate registered or not, with this it will be impossible for anyone to impersonate anyone.”

“We are sure this will deal with impersonation and any school or examination centre that refuses to use the machines will be cancelled,” he said.

He also said students will be given numbers at the point of registration to use to access their result.

Also speaking, the Acting Registrar, Abubakar Gana, said the biometric verification machines and the 20 Toyota Hilux vans were procured to tackle impersonation and ease movement of examination materials. (Daily Trust)