The results of the external candidates who sat for the November/December 2019 Senior School Certificate Examinations (SSCE), has been released by the National Examinations Council (NECO), with a total of 17,004 cases of examination practices recorded.

Briefing news men in Abuja, the acting NECO Registrar, Mohammed Gana, said a total of 33,576 out of the over 70,000 candidates that sat for the examinations got five credits including English Language and Mathematics.

Explaining the rationale behind the external examinations, Gana stated that it was for candidates who wish to acquire the minimum requirements for admission into various tertiary institutions.

He commended the examination body for taking only 49 days to release the results,  after the last paper was taken.

According to the acting Registrar, 65, 207 candidates sat for English language, out of which 41,214, representing 63 percent got either Distinction or Credit. Again, 66,398 candidates, according to him, sat for Mathematics, out of which 54,565, representing 82.18 percent got either Distinction or Credit.

On the other hand, 50,057 candidates, representing 72.57 percent, got five Credits and above irrespective of English Language and Mathematics.

He frowned at the increase in the number of cases recorded for examination malpractice,  where 17,004 candidates were booked for malpractices in 2019 as compared to the 12,084 number that was recorded in the 2018 examinations.