Exam malpractice as Buhari’s next battle

The administration of President Muhammadu Buhari has just started the second of its four-year mandate. From all indications, the second year of the administration means the government’s war on corruption has also entered another sophisticated phase. The war against examination malpractice should form part of the next phase of the administration’s war against corruption. The […]

The administration of President Muhammadu Buhari has just started the second of its four-year mandate. From all indications, the second year of the administration means the government’s war on corruption has also entered another sophisticated phase. The war against examination malpractice should form part of the next phase of the administration’s war against corruption.
The president must know many things about Mallam Adamu Adamu to have appointed him minister of education. This is because President Buhari is aware of the place of education in the new country his government is building. Mr President knows that education is crucial if the country is serious about resolving some of the very serious contradictions in the country.
Basically, examination malpractice is any act of wrong doing or neglect that contravenes the rules of acceptable practices before, during and after an examination. Sadly, it has come to be accepted as part of our national life as people from different social strata are involved in it. With so-called “miracle centres’’ everywhere, parents spend money every year to assist their wards to cut corners while school administrators and touts engage in the practice for the financial benefits they derive. There have been reports of schools that include “hidden cost’’ in the school fees of final year students to take facilitate examination malpractice.
Increasing cases of examination malpractice is an indication of how corrupt and morally bankrupt many Nigerians, high and low, have become. Prominent among the reasons for it is what experts call over-reliance on paper qualification, which experts say is responsible for the do-or-die approach to passing examinations. Again, proprietors of poorly equipped schools, driven more by profit, engage in the practice to deceive gullible parents. Dubious employees of examination bodies also indulge in the practice for similar reasons. Several other factors also contribute to the problem.
The essence of any educational system is to inculcate the spirit of discipline in its recipients. But this is not possible in an educational system characterised by all manner of absurdities. It is safe to suggest that examination malpractice has the potential of frustrating genuine efforts at national rebirth and moral rejuvenation.
To solve this problem, the National Orientation Agency (NOA) should take up the task of making people realise the dangers of examination practice. The body should be re-organised and empowered to launch a major campaign against examination malpractice and take such campaigns to post primary and tertiary institutions across the country. The message should be clear: hard work pays and those caught cutting corners would be punished.
Other measures to be taken include adequate enforcement of existing laws on examination malpractice, effective and adequate use of continuous assessment in schools, and proper monitoring of schools by inspectors. By now, Nigerians must have realised that phasing out teacher training colleges has not proved positive. Their re-introduction will improve the quality of teaching and minimise the need to patronise ‘miracle centres.’
Mrs. Magaji is a staff of the National Examinations Council (NECO)