MINNA – The National Examinations Council (NECO), on Thursday commissioned a Computer Base Testing (CBT) laboratory presented to it by DRAGNET Solutions Ltd.
The laboratory is to help staff learn how to mark essays examinations before extending it to consumers.
The Chairman of the DRAGNET, Dr Paddy Njoku, who expressed gratitude to NECO, said that DRAGNET had extended its hands of fellowship to the council.
The commissioning took place at the National Examinations Council Headquarters in Minna.
Njoku said that it was absolutely necessary that staff and management got acquainted with CBT mechanisms because NECO was ICT compliant and development compatible.
He said that as much as it was feasible, DRAGNET would give the necessary cooperation to make the relationship it formed with NECO a fruitful one.
The Registrar, Prof. Promise Okpalla, said that NECO examinations cut across four major areas – the multiple choices, the long essay type, laboratory process and the oral.
According to him, the multiple choice questions carry only 15 per cent.
He said that although multiple choice assessments were easy to mark and could facilitate easy release of results, “it does not reflect the true judgment of the pupils and students.’’
“This is because how they arrive at the answer is very important.’’
Okpalla said that NECO’s concerned was a holistically assessment of everything the candidates were taught in school, “it is not a question of marking the correct answer’’.
He said that this had become necessary, particularly at this time when examination “malpractice is endemic’’.
“The essence of teaching and learning business is beyond just passing but the methodology involved in answering the questions comprehensively is a major concern,’’ he said.
Okpalla said that NECO was tailoring its examination procedures to cater for a comprehensive growth in the life of a child.
He noted that the technology in marking essay was particularly not perfect yet “because it is still at the level of experimentation.’’
He said that the CBT laboratory “is a staff laboratory, we are still experimenting on what to do with essay examination.’’
He said, “you don’t bring something to the consumers when you have not perfected it.’’
“The issue of using machine to mark essay is a more complex thing and it is still at experimental stage.
“That is why NECO is having its own laboratory here; we must perfect it before we bring it to consumers,’’ he said.
The registrar said using machine to mark essay would be more economical and faster “that is the essence of the laboratory’’. (NAN)