Education minister Adamu Adamu announced Monday that 24,416 pupils who sat for the recently conducted National Common Entrance Examination, NCEE, passed with a minimum score of 66, NAN reported.

Peoples Gazette understands that out of 70,580 pupils who took the 2020/2021 transit exam, 46,164 did not meet the minimum score — representing a 65 percent failure rate.

Registrar of the National Examination Council (NECO) Godswill Obioma said at a media briefing in Abuja Monday afternoon that 16,713 registered candidates were absent for the examinations.

“I will like to say that a total of 93,929 candidates registered for the examinations out of which 70,580 sat and 16,714 were unavoidably absent,” NAN reported Mr. Obioma to have said.

The Gazette learnt that although the national merit cut off mark was pegged at 142, the minister noted that the admission criteria would range from merit and other non-merit processes.

“As has been the tradition for decades, the admission criteria include 60 percent on merit, 30 percent based on states’ representation in the unity colleges and the remaining 10 percent covers other sundry considerations,” Mr. Adamu said.

“Consequently, in this year’s admission, the 60 percent merit-based admission will come first, followed by the 30 percent equality of states and 10 percent discretion,” he added.

The Gazette further gathered that the cut-off mark for NCEE, a transition examination from primary to junior secondary school, varies across the 36 states and the FCT for pupils seeking admission into the Federal Government unity colleges.

A report by The Guardian last year said the minimum score for a pupil from Anambra was 139, while that of Zamfara had four for a male pupil and two for a female.