The Education Resource Centre of the Federal Capital Territory Administration has taken steps to ensure strict compliance with examination standards and zero tolerance for examination malpractice in secondary schools.

The ERC director, Neemat Abdulrahim, stated this in Abuja on Thursday while monitoring the Senior Secondary Certificate mock examination in mathematics in secondary schools.

Ms Abdulrahim explained that the mock examination prepares secondary school students for the West African Examination Council and the National Examination Council.

She said the monitoring was part of the centre’s mandate to ensure that examinations were conducted in conducive environments and vetted question papers met approved standards.

She commended the orderly conduct of the examination in the schools visited and noted a steady increase in private schools’ participation, reflecting the credibility and standards of the ERC mock examinations.

The director also said that the ongoing renovation of school facilities by FCT minister Nyesom Wike significantly boosted students’ morale.

The director of the Department of Quality Assurance, Titilayo Alayande, reaffirmed the department’s commitment to safeguarding examination integrity.

Ms Alayande commended Ms Abdulrahim and her team “for sustaining a quality mock examination process that prepares students for WAEC and NECO examinations”.

She expressed satisfaction with the facilities provided and commended teachers for their dedication, noting that students displayed confidence and seriousness throughout the exercise.

Some school administrators and management applauded the ongoing education reforms being implemented by the FCT minister.

The director of Royal Family Academy, Olubunmi Ayeni, described the mock examination as a “highly impactful initiative that has consistently helped schools to assess students’ preparedness for external examinations.”

Ms Ayeni added that as a law-abiding institution, the school remains compliant with government policies and directives and called on other private schools to key into the ERC initiative.

Some principals of the schools visited described the mock examination as a dependable benchmark for measuring students’ readiness for external examinations.

They also lauded the timely distribution of question papers, the hitch-free conduct, and the conducive examination environment.

The principals, who thanked the FCT minister for ongoing renovations and upgrades of schools, assured the FCT Administration of their commitment to maintaining the facilities.

Schools visited were Government Science Technical College, Area 3, Abuja; Government Secondary School, Garki, Abuja; Government Science Secondary School, Maitama, Abuja; and Royal Family Academy, Wuye, Abuja, among others.

(NAN)