Examination malpractice: Who is to blame?

Exam malpractice has eaten deep into the educational system of Nigeria. As WAEC/NECO and JAMB approach, miracle centers are there; ready to help students cheat during the exams. Exam malpractice is illegally conducted by a candidate of an examination to pass the examination. Various forms of exam malpractice exist, starting from the ordinary, to the […]

Exam malpractice has eaten deep into the educational system of Nigeria. As WAEC/NECO and JAMB approach, miracle centers are there; ready to help students cheat during the exams. Exam malpractice is illegally conducted by a candidate of an examination to pass the examination.

Various forms of exam malpractice exist, starting from the ordinary, to the inter-mediate, and launching into some of the very complex and systematic types. The ordinary type includes copying verbatim topics assumed to be part of the exams on the palms of the hand, on thighs, on a handkerchief, piece of paper, etc. Other methods include the use of Bluetooth devices, electronic toys, electronic calculators, positioning techniques, and sign language for objectives.

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All said and done above, one begins to imagine whose fault is it for this continued proliferation and support for exam malpractice? Hence, mostly it comes from those who have been made custodians of all forms of examinations. These are the teachers whose job is to impart knowledge to the students but end up assisting the students to commit malpractices in exams. This is with the sole aim of hiding the obnoxious laxity on the part of the teachers for not delivering as of when due. The only way these teachers hide their incompetence is through exam malpractice. As if that is not enough, proprietors of such schools are conjoined in this criminal act by establishing WAEC miracle centres.

Parents should also note that children receive their first training at home. If candidates for exams are helped in exam malpractice, then the effect multiplies negatively. Some of the smaller effects include, but are not limited to; expulsion in tertiary institutions, the high tendency of unemployment, shame, and wrath of the God for corruption, among others.

Waheeda Isah Muhammad writes from Kaduna