The National Examination Council (NECO) has scrapped the use of scratch cards, for the conduct of its Senior Secondary Certificate Examination (SSCE).

Chairman of the NECO board, Abubakar Saddiq, confirmed this on Friday during the commissioning of the equipment and unveiling of 20 Toyota Hilux Vans purchased by the agency, in Minna, Niger State.

Saddiq disclosed that they have procured 8,000 biometric machines, for registration of candidates during the conduct of its examinations.

“In the last, people have to buy scratch cards in order to register for NECO examination. That is out. No more scratch cards. People (will) register online and they (will) be given a code and they will go ahead to register.

“As they register, their biometrics are captured. Every school is on a particular biometric data capturing machine. Every data is captured on that small machine.

“It is impossible for anybody to impersonate a candidate during our exams because the captured data is on our platform,” he said.

NECO’s Acting Registrar, Abubakar Gana, said that the equipment were procured to enhance operations in the areas of logistics and overall security of its examination.

According to Gana, NECO had been making use of scratch cards to register over 51,000 candidates for each of its examinations in the past which had not enabled the agency to curb malpractices.

Gana noted that the 8,000 biometrics machine cost the council N500million, while the 20 Toyota Hilux gulped N327,800,000.

“Each of the vehicles cost N16, 390,000 while a unit of the biometric capture machine was bought at N62, 500,” he said.

This is the first time NECO would be deploying biometrics, for the conduct of its Senior Secondary Certificate Examination.