Education

Zamfara leads Northern states in entrance exam for gifted students

Zamfara State has emerged as the top-performing state in Northern Nigeria and second overall in the country in the National Examination Council (NECO) entrance examination for gifted students.

Last week, NECO released the 2024 results for admission into the Federal Government Academy, Suleja.

In a statement on Sunday, the spokesperson for the Governor, Sulaiman Bala Idris, said that Zamfara State secured the highest number of slots, emerging the best state in the entire north.

He added that throughout the country, Zamfara came second with 30 talented students while Anambra State secured the first position with 35 students.

According to the statement, “Zamfara State students have achieved the highest performance in the NECO entrance examination for gifted students among the 19 Northern states, breaking a significant educational barrier.

“For the first time, Zamfara state is excelling on the national stage, marking a significant shift from its usual place at the bottom regarding performance hierarchy.

“NECO organizes the Gifted Examination for admission into the Federal Government Academy Suleja for gifted and talented children.

“Only final year primary school pupils under 11 years of age are eligible to take the examination by December of the examination year.

“The Federal Government Academy Suleja is a training ground for moulding Nigeria’s gifted and talented children.

“It provides significant opportunities for exceptional students to develop their potential in the interest of nation-building and technological development.

“The students benefit from Federal government scholarships through tuition, external examination fees, boarding, feeding, uniforms and introductory textbooks.

“In 2024, Zamfara received three slots based on the state quota and secured an additional 27 slots based on national merit into the Federal Government Academy. “The students from Zamfara performed exceptionally well in the exams, obtaining more slots than any other state in the North.

“This is a significant development, particularly considering that a state of emergency was declared in the state’s education sector last year.

“Out of the 30 qualified students from Zamfara, 21 are girls and nine are boys, indicating a growing emphasis on girl-child education in the state.

“The Zamfara State government will continue to make greater efforts to ensure the full implementation of the administration’s educational policies which will lead to more successes for the state,” the statement said.

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