06 Apr 2016

First National Bank of Botswana (FNBB) has partnered with Botswana Examinations Council (BEC) to enable payment of 2016 JCE and BGCE examinations for private candidates through the bank’s electronic channels.

A press release from FNB states that payments can be made through online banking, cellphone banking, ATM with deposits, FNB App, *174# Mobile transact and through the branches.

It says the partnership between BEC and FNBB offers private candidates the convenience of using a variety of FNB’s edge technology electronic channels. 

The release states that all the electronic channels provide reliability and convenience, and that they are designed to cater for the different customer segments, allowing customers to choose the one that best suits their lifestyle. 

The press release further states that customers have become less and less tolerant of long queues,  largely due to being time starved, but also because they have simply come to expect more from services.

It says FNB meets customers’ expectations by continuously innovating solutions that saves time, and that this will help candidates to focus on studying as well as revising for their examinations.

The release also states that the partnership provides BEC with a cost effective revenue collection method. 

It says rather than travelling across the country to collect payments from students, FNBB’s electronic channels have bridged the gap between the payee and the payer. 

From a management accounting perspective, it will also be easy for BEC to reconcile their accounts through referencing that is provided with every payment transaction, states the release.

It says the BEC’s data processing manager, Mr Oduetse Setlhare expressed delight at the partnership and the benefits that it holds for private candidates. 

The press release says Mr Setlhare stated that the latest development will go a long way in improving the delivery of BEC services and save students time and money.

The release also states that for students who will first register for the examinations using the BEC Malepa system, the system will then issue candidates with a provisional statement of entry showing the candidate details, the amount to be paid, BEC banking details and the application number which the candidate will use to pay.

The release says to pay through FNB channels, the customer needs an application number that they obtain following registration with BEC. The application number should be used as the reference number in all transactions. Ends