ABSTRACT: This study was conducted to Comparative Analysis of Students Academic Performance in NECO and WASSCE Examinations in 2021 School Session. The sample for the study was one thousand four hundred and forty four (1444) being the number of candidates who registered and sat for both WASSCE and NECO examinations in biology during the 2021 academic session. Simple survey design was used. Two research questions were formulated and answered. The main instrument from which data was collected were WASSCE and NECO 2021 Examination Past Result. Data collected was analyzed using simple percentages. The research revealed that both male and female students’ academic performance in biology in NECO was higher than the male and female students’ academic performance in WASSCE in 2021 in biology in secondary schools.
The study recommends that biology teachers should adopt every relevant methods, instructional materials and techniques needed to improve and enhance performances of students in their external examination in subsequent years.
Comparative Analysis of Students Academic Performance in NECO and WASSCE Examinations in 2021 School Session
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background to the Study
Education is the process of facilitating learning or the acquisition of knowledge, skill, values, beliefs and habits. Education takes place frequently under the guidance of educators but learners may also educate themselves. The objective of education is always evaluated using examination.
According to Uduh (2019) examination is the process of finding out how much of the objectives of education has been achieved, that is how the specific task a learners has been learnt. Similarly, Fagbaminye (1998) in Ekpo (2014) defined education has as a tool of measuring and judging the standard of education in any country.
Examination could be internally conducted. Internal examination are usually developed and ministered by schools using teachers-made test. These could be conducted weekly, termly or at the end of the school year. External; examinations on the other hand are developed and administered by public examination bodies.
External examination bodies such as national examination council (NECO) examination and West African senior school certificate examination (WASSCE) are often used to set a standard for school performance as well as student’s performances. This was why the British colonial administration master minded the setting up of the West African Examination Council (WAEC) in 1952. It was meant to administered examination in Gold coast (Ghana), Gambia, Sierra Leone and Nigeria. The WAEC is charged with the responsibility of conducting the General certificate in Education (GCE), the West African School certificate Examination (SSCE) O’ level (Internal And External), Technical And Business Studies Examination (NABTEB) as well as the national common entrance. It also conducts examination in General Certificate in Education for non-West African countries.
Furthermore, in 1999 the national examination council (NECO) was set up, specifically, to administered public examinations in Nigeria. One of the reasons for the establishment of NECO comes from complaints among the public that the standards set by WAEC was too high and this was held responsible for the mass failure in WASSEC (Abiodun 2012). NECO is responsible for conducting the following examinations in Nigeria, senior secondary certificate examination (internal and external), junior secondary certificate examination national common entrance and other related examinations. Ajayi and Ekundayo (2010), reported that in order to establish its mark, NECO however comprised standard leading to 67.3% of the candidates making five credits passes at its first examination in 1999. However, due to severe critics, NECO stepped up its standard leading to the worst performance in 2009 when only 1.8% made five credits in the senior secondary school certificate examination in November/December (NECO, (2010).
The controversy regarding the performance of students in both NECO and WAEC today is a national issue. There is a lot of disagreement as to which of these examination bodies produce the better result. The general conclusion, however, is that students performs poorly in both WASSEC and NECO (Ademono 2005). Stakeholders have continued to trade blames on the causes of mass failure of students in public examination. Some parents, some society, and the students themselves with the teachers having a lion share of the blame. As accusations and counter-accusations on who to blame on the mass failure of students persists, the fact remains that all the stakeholders have a role to play in solving the problems of abysmal failure of students in public examination. Studies have revealed a general poor performance in science subjects both in WASSCE and NECO over the years.
Archibong 2010 reported that in biology, chemistry and physics. Only 319% and 51% of students who enrolled for the examination in 2006 had credit passes respectively. It is against this background that this study was carried out to compare academic performance of students in NECO and WASSCE from 2010 to 2021 performance in Biology in Ukanafun Local Government Area.
1.2 Statement of the Problem
The important of education has only lasting impact on one’s life. For instance the acquisition of knowledge and skills and all other-things that are worthwhile are transmitted to a person through formal and informal education determines his/her potentials in future. As a result, students are encouraged to take up science related subject like biology.
This is to enable the country to achieve its aspiration to be among the top 20 economics in the world by 2020, (Obioma, 2007). To achieve this, the country needs good performance of students in science of which is biology.
Comparative Analysis of Students Academic Performance in NECO and WASSCE Examinations in 2021 School Session
Unfortunately, the performance of students in the science at the secondary level of education had not improved in the past decades as reflected in the chief examiners Annual reports of both the WASSCE and NECO both regional and national educational bodies, respectively (Askhuan, (2010). According to Archibong, (2010), 27.5% of senior secondary III students who took WASSCE in 2005 passed biology at credit level while 30% passed at credit level in 2006. In 2007, only 25.5%, passed at credit level while only 13.7% passed at credit level in 2008. In 2009, 25% passed at credit level in 2010 (Sami, 2011). Only 4.7% of the candidate in biology passed at credit level in NECO examination in 2009. These upward trends of failure year in, year out motivate the researcher to carry out a comparative study of students’ performance in biology as conducted by both NECO and WAEC in 2021.
