Curbing Examination Malpractice In Nigeria Education Sector: 2013

2013: Curbing Examination Malpractice In Nigeria Education Sector

 

The escalating cases of malpractices recorded in West African Examination Council, (WAEC) conducted in recent years has put the Nigerian government and relevant agencies under more pressure to sanitise the sector in the New Year.

The menace compelled the council to withhold 39,066 results of candidates who wrote November/December West African Senior School Certificate Examination, (WASSCE) in 2011, while in 2012, 47,289 results were withheld as a result of malpractice.

This statistics mainly revealed that those involved in examination malpractice have increased over the years compared to the record of previous years.

Though the council has continued to assure Nigerians that they are doing their best to put an end to malpractice among candidates, professionals have opined that the way out is a total overhaul and reform of the sector.

Their concerns cannot be faulted considering the fact that candidates involved in examination malpractice last year increased by 8,223.

This to the analysts, chronicled the need for the council to put more measures in place to reduce the criminal act among candidates.

LEADERSHIP findings revealed that some students who sat for the examination saw the Nov/Dec category as an opportunity for them to pass their papers by hiring some persons to write the exams for them.

Thus, the new Head of Nigeria National Office, Mr. Charles Eguridu said, “The case of malpractice when investigated will be presented to Nigeria Examinations Committee (NEC)’, saying the decision of the committee will be communicated to the affected students through their zonal branch.

‘The question that bothers the minds of many people who value education is whether the candidates involved in this act are punished after it has been ascertained that they are guilty and if not, there is every tendency that there are problems in curbing malpractice among students.

He went on: “You will recall that at the 54th meeting of the NEC council held in November 2011, the committee again decried the incidence of malpractice in examinations. The incidence of examination malpractices must be checked at all cost if we expect our educational sector to regain not only its past glory, but also improve and compete with those of the other nations”.

The council in its effort to curb examination malpractice called on stakeholders to partner with them in the fight against the malaise, adding that the council is introducing biometric features in its registration process for examination.

The predominant factors responsible for examination malpractice among secondary school students conducted by WAEC and NECO were found to include lack of trained teachers in secondary schools, corrupt WAEC and NECO examination officials and supervisors who allow examination malpractice for money and disturbingly too, the difficulty in getting admission into tertiary institutions.

It was therefore concluded that concerted effort should be made at the examination agencies’ level to check the action of corrupt officials.

Other factors identified also include, poor preparation for examinations, low morality and poor school facilities.

However, in 2011, out of the 404,863 candidates that sat for the examination, 226,658 (60.86%) obtained credit and above in Mathematics, while 226,188 candidates (59.82%) obtained credit and above in English Language while in 2012, 396,614 candidates sat for the examination, 150,615 representing 37.97 percent obtained credits in five subjects and above including English Language and Mathematics.

To the council, there is a comparative analysis of candidates’ performance in the 2010/2012 WASSCE. “It shows that there has been a consistent improvement in the performance of candidates.

According to Eguridu, “ It is an indication that investment in the education sector, particularly under the transformation agenda of the present administration is beginning to yield dividends.”

The WAEC boss said out of the total number that sat for the examination, 406,108 candidates representing 98.27 percent have their results fully released while 7,158 candidates, representing 1.73 percent have a few of their subjects still being processed due to some errors mainly traceable to the candidates.