The registrar of the National Business and Technical Examinations Board (NABTEB), Prof Ifeoma Isiugo-Abanihe, yesterday announced the release of 2021 in school National Business Certificate/National Technical Examinations.

Prof Isiugo-Abanihe who spoke with journalists in Benin disclosed that a total of 83,504 candidates sat for the examination as against 58,340 who sat for the same examination last year.

She said that an analysis of the enrollment for the 2021 NBC/NTC examinations showed that candidates enrolled for 16 engineering trades, seven construction trades, nine miscellaneous trades, four business trades and 21 general education subjects.

The registrar disclosed that out of the 29,997 candidates that sat for the examinations in various trades, 17,775 (59.26per cent) were certified as craftsmen which are statistically about the same as that of the 2020 in-school certificate examinations where out of the 30,328 candidates that sat for the examinations in various trades, 17,036 (56.17per cent) were certified as craftsmen.

Mrs Isiugo-Abanihe said that 58,307 candidates representing (72.96per cent) of the candidates that sat for the examination scored five credits and above including English Language and Mathematics while 74,069 candidates obtained five credits and above with or without English Language and Mathematics, representing 92.68 per cent of the candidates.

The registrar added that this year’s performance is higher than the 2020 in-school examination results where 36,202 candidates or 62.99per cent obtained five credits and above including English Language and Mathematics and 48,597 or 84.55per cent of all candidates that sat for the examinations obtained five credits and above with or without English Language and Mathematics.

The registrar said that the federal government recognized the importance of Technical and Vocational Training (TVET), along with technology science and Mathematics as tools for national technological development in the change agenda of the present administration, noting:

“In the same vein, the importance of TVET-oriented certificates awarded by NABTEB, especially the Ordinary Level NBC/NTC and Advanced Level ANBC/ANTC certificates, which are for wealth creation, self-employment and prerequisite qualifications for further education cannot be overemphasized.”