Kogi State government said writing of mock examination will henceforth be made compulsory for prospective candidates seeking to write WAEC and NECO examinations in the state.
The state Commissioner for science, education and technology, Mr Wemi Jones announced this in a statement in Lokoja on Thursday.
The statement signed by Dupe Adegboro, Public Relations Officer in the ministry quoted Jones as saying that writing of mock examination which will be be conducted by his ministry is now a basic requirement for registration of candidates for both examinations.
The Commissioner who stated this position during a meeting with the proprietors of private schools said that the decision was in line with the provisions of the State Education Law 2020.
He explained that the law has made common entrance and mock examinations compulsory, urging schools in the state to comply and start operating in accordance with the law.
Jones who was represented at the meeting by the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, Mr Emmanuel Idenyi directed schools to furnish the ministry with details of their candidates to enable it register them for the coming examinations.
He said any school that violates the law will be sanctioned as stipulated by Education Law 2020.
“Mock which is designed to help students prepare for NECO and WASCE has to be centralised like the external examinations it mimicked; this should be coordinated by the Ministry, ” he stated.
The Commissioner explained that the Education Law 2020 is not punitive but designed to guide school proprietors to operate effectively.
According to him, the law is also to enable the Ministry to project and prepare schools in the state to best standards for good performance in national external examinations.
He encouraged private school owners in the state to register with the National Association of Proprietors of Private Schools (NAPPS) for ease of administration.
Jones announced that four students from the state qualified for the 2022 Olympia National Maths Quiz Competition , adding that government will sponsor them to Jos, Plateau State, venue of the competition.
In their respinse, some of the private school managers commended the state government for enacting a law to regulate operations of private schools.
They also pledged their support for the government in its efforts to put education on the right track and called on the ministry to create a forum for orientation of parents on school administration.
The proprietors also advised that the mock examination be reorganised for better results.
