ASSESSEMENT OF DESIRABLE TEST ENVIRONMENT OF PUBLIC SCHOOLS USED FOR BASIC EDUCATION CERTIFICATE EXAMINATION (BECE) IN ENUGU EDUCATION ZONE

This study was undertaken to assess the desirable test environment for basic education certificate examination in Enugu education zone. Specifically, the study was framed to determine BECE accreditation status; the conduct of the examiner; and the conduct of the students. The study used Classical Test Theory (CTT) as the theoretical base to explain the relationship between the desirable test environment and Basic Education Certificate Examination. The study adopted a descriptive survey design. The population of the study was 6551 Basic Education Certificate Examination education students who took the 2021 BECE and 374 teachers working in the 31 public secondary schools in Enugu Educational Zone. A basic random and proportionate procedure was employed to choose the sample of 152 instructors and 1150 Upper Basic 3 school students (JSS3). The instrument used in this study was questionnaire titled QADTEPSBECE. The instrument contained a check list and two observational schedules from NECO’s BECE level and it was validated by three experts. The reliability of the instrument was also established. After the analysis, the study findings were that: Examiner Demeanor at various levels contributes to a good desirable test environments in the conduct of BECE; Testees’ conduct, to a large extent, contributes to a good desirable test environments in schools are inadequate, but teachers in Enugu State still require NCE as a prerequisite for teaching Upper Basic Education; the behavior of examiners in BECE is acceptable; and the behavior of the test subjects is generally acceptable. Therefore, the study major recommendation is that government should declare state of emergency with respect to vital facilities in schools