By Felix Evwihor
The Delta State Government has intensified efforts to improve the quality, credibility and integrity of public examinations with a workshop on the development of test items for the 2027 Cognitive/Placement Examination and Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE).
The workshop, held on Thursday, November 12, 2026, at the Bureaucratic House, Maryam Babangida Way, Asaba, brought together selected teachers from across the state to equip them with the requisite knowledge and skills for producing standardised examination questions.
Participants were taken through technical sessions on Item Generation for Placement Examinations and Curriculum, facilitated by Dr Morrison Jessa and Dr Eseoghene Umoru-Sule, respectively.
Declaring the workshop open, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education, Dr Henry Ojerun Akambe, FCA, who represented the Commissioners for Primary and Secondary Education, described the exercise as crucial to safeguarding the academic future of pupils transitioning from junior to senior secondary education.
He urged participants to ensure that all examination questions were strictly drawn from the approved curriculum and Scheme of Work, emphasising that test items must be valid, reliable, relevant and appropriate to the subjects being assessed.
According to him, questions set in Mathematics must genuinely evaluate candidates’ mathematical competence, just as English Language questions must effectively assess their proficiency in the subject.
Dr Akambe further stressed the importance of balanced curriculum coverage, fairness and inclusiveness in the examination process. He cautioned against overconcentration on selected topics and the introduction of gender, cultural, religious or ethnic biases capable of compromising the credibility of the examinations.
He also charged the teachers to uphold the highest standards of confidentiality and professional ethics, warning against the unauthorised disclosure or use of generated questions to confer undue advantages on particular candidates.
Expressing concern over complaints of mass failures and examination malpractice recorded in recent BECE and placement examinations, the Permanent Secretary called for improved teaching standards and greater commitment to effective classroom instruction.
He particularly cautioned teachers against aiding examination malpractice, noting that restoring public confidence in the state’s examination system required collective responsibility, transparency and strict adherence to established standards.
Earlier in her welcome address, the Acting Director of Examinations and Standards, Mrs Cecilia Eguriase, explained that the workshop was organised to facilitate the production of valid, reliable and standardised test items based on the approved Scheme of Work.
She said the initiative was also aimed at enriching the state’s question bank while strengthening the credibility, integrity and overall quality of its public examinations.
Eguriase disclosed that participants were expected to generate a minimum of 50 multiple-choice questions, five essay questions, two practical questions and two project-based questions.
She added that teachers assigned to the Cognitive/Placement Examination were specifically required to develop 50 multiple-choice questions.
The Acting Director emphasised that all generated questions must be guided by appropriate Tables of Specification and supported with clear marking schemes to promote uniformity, consistency, transparency and ease of examination administration.
The workshop attracted directors and other senior officials of the Ministry, alongside the selected teachers drawn from different parts of Delta State.
