Rivers State Scraps First School Leaving Certificate

The Rivers State Ministry of Education on Thursday, Feb 24, announced the replacement of the First School Leaving Certificate, with the Basic Education Certificate.

The commissioner for education, Prof. Kaniye Ebeku, said the issuance of the BEC was in line with the Federal Government’s 9-3-4 education policy.

According to Ebeku who spoke at the official launch of the BEC in Port Harcourt on Thursday, the state would now begin to issue the BEC to students upon completion of junior secondary education, and called on all principals of junior secondary schools, parents, guardians, and the general public to be aware of the new policy.

The commissioner explained that students will have to take the Basic Education Certificate Examinations (BECE) at Basic Nine (JSS3) to obtain BEC, and without the BEC, they won’t be allowed to proceed to senior secondary schools.