Kaduna State Government and Derusa Nigeria Enterprises Consultancy Services have partnered to deploy Computer-Based Test (CBT) facilities in public Secondary schools in the state.
Gov. Nasir El-Rufa’i made this known in Kaduna on Tuesday, at the opening of a 3-day capacity building training on EasiPREP CBT software for secondary school teachers in Kaduna.
El-Rufa’i, represented by the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Education, Mrs. Phoebe Yayi, said that his administration has begun deployment of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) facilities to public secondary schools.
According to him, the measure was part of efforts to deepen the adoption of ICT in teaching and learning, to improve learning outcomes and expose secondary school students to the digital-driven world.
“We will soon phase out the paper-based examination in our public schools, because most examinations are now computer-based, meaning that our children will lose out if they are not well prepared.
“We have, therefore, began a process of introducing CBT in our secondary schools to properly prepare them for Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) and other examinations that are computer-based.
“But we cannot succeed if our teachers are not equipped with the needed skills to teach our students how to manipulate computers to study and write examinations,” he said.
Also speaking, Mr Sam Wale, Chief Consultant, Derusa Consultancy Services, explained that the EasiPREP CBT School Edition software allows school to create and administer their own computer-based test.
Wale said that the objective of the training was to expose the teachers to the EasiPREP CBT School Edition software, how to use it and teach their students.
“There is also the student edition, loaded with over 24,000 questions and answers across 13 subjects for UTME, West African Examination Council, and National Examination Council (NECO) for students to practice and prepare.
“The workshop will also increase teachers’ knowledge in the use of ICT, which in the long run would improve students ‘performance in the national examination.
“Our goal is to provide easy to use examination preparation materials to students through the use ICT for efficiency,” he said.
According to him, the platform will check examination malpractice, problems of missing script and grade, sex for marks, as well as ensure speedy release of examination result in public schools. (