Mrs Shoba Ubah, an educationist, has stressed the need to verify schools candidates’ list for the 2022 National Common Entrance Examinations for admission into federal-government-owned Unity Schools.
Shoba told Newsmen on Friday that the idea was to ensure that all state school authorities enrolled students that had completed primary school.
She noted that the Lagos State Government had a policy which ensured that every child must go through primary 1-6, to qualify for admission into Junior Secondary School.
According to her, the step would go a long way to put schools’ in check as to their level of compliance of the directive by the Lagos state Ministry of Education, particularly those in private sector schools.
” Registration is in progress now and the state government had said that the examination is for students that had progressed to primary 6 and must be ten years and above.
” It’s a standard set for enrolment in the examination, it is, therefore, necessary for the Lagos State Ministry of Education to ensure that these requirements were met, particularly by private schools.
” As a matter of fact, Committees should be put in place to visit schools’ to verify lists of candidates from schools’ and confirm that they didn’t jump any class” she said.
The educationist solicited that sanctions should be meted out to any school found wanting in the examination requirements, adding, ” any school registering primary 4 or 5 should be made to pay fine”.
Shoba said that school curriculum had been prepared for every class and it was fundamental that the children were allowed to pass through all classes and have opportunity to acquire needed knowledge.
” Sometimes parents try to influence their children’s class process, push them hard for academic success and expect them to perform well, beyond his or her level of mental and social capabilities.
” That is hurrying a child, which exposes them to academic pressure, it will do them more harm than good in the long run as they might not be able to measure up with the standards.
” Children should not be encouraged to skip a class, no matter his or her level of brilliance, rather they should be allowed to operate on that frequency to maintain performances.” she said.
On a lighter note, she tasked proprietors and managements of private schools to collaborate with the state government to allow children observe due process in the delivery of quality education.
Newsmen reports that the National Common Entrance Examinations, organised by National Examination Council (NECO), has been scheduled to hold April 23, 2022