Oladeji Ogunsola-Lagos.
For over two decades, it is sad that the credibility of examination processes in Nigeria’s educational scene remains questionable, having faced the tide of examination malpractice. Examination malpractice poses a great threat to the validity and reliability of most examinations in Nigeria, and the world as a whole. Examination malpractice is rendering examination results untrustworthy and almost worthless, thereby defeating the whole purpose of examinations.
In June 2015, a sensitization road show on examination malpractice was led by former national head of West African Examination Council, Mr Charles Eguridu in Abuja. Eguridu made it known at the sensitization that, Nigeria has the highest number of examination irregularities among the five member countries of WAEC.
As students across the country sits for this year WAEC and other external examinations, there have been reports of examination malpractice involving schools and examination officials
Head of national office, West African Examination Council, Patrick Areghan, said the body arrested some of its supervisors who revealed questions to candidates before the commencement of the West African Senior school certificate Examination.
Areghan, who spoke during a monitoring exercise to some schools in Yaba, Lagos state, also told students taking WAEC examination to shun examination malpractice and rely on their ability.
In a chat with cross section of Lagos residents on stemming the tide of examination malpractice, they opined that The Ministry of Education at both federal and state level, teachers and parents have a huge part to play in curtailing examination malpractice.
The Ministry of Education has to awaken the awareness on examination malpractice, and stand firm on the consequences of malpractice. The examination malpractice act 33 of 1999 serves punishment of 3 to 4 years jail term with or without option of fine, to malpractice offenders. This can be seen as no more or can rather be said as ineffective, as offenders now bribe their way when caught.
In a chat with a secondary school student in Lagos, she stated that parents also have a huge part to play in stemming the tide of examination malpractice, by reducing the pressure they put on their children to pass exams at all cost. Some parents are hell bent on ensuring that their children pass their examination, even if it has to do with sponsoring them to engage in various forms of examination malpractice.
Schools and examination bodies should improve the process of writing examinations. Technology has helped to make examination process and marking easier and trustworthy. Proper supervision can also help to quench malpractice activities during exam processes, and installation of obvious working cameras in examination halls would scare students off malpractice.
The importance of education in our nation cannot be over emphasized, as it helps in the all-round growth and development of an individual, as well as the society at large.
