COULD THIS BE TRUE? A student reportedly sat for the final senior secondary school examination and got A1 in Mathematics, A2 in English and Economics, and had similar fantastic results in other subjects. On the day he came to collect the statement of result, he was requested to write on the copy of the document, “Original copy received by me”. He could not write it!
COULD THIS BE TRUE? A student reportedly sat for the final senior secondary school examination and got A1 in Mathematics, A2 in English and Economics, and had similar fantastic results in other subjects. On the day he came to collect the statement of result, he was requested to write on the copy of the document, “Original copy received by me”. He could not write it!
In another incident, a University graduate of Guidance and Counselling sat for an interview in a company. In the bio-data form which he was asked to complete, he wrote “Guidance and Cancelling” as his field of study. When the mistake was pointed out, he became argumentative and vehemently insisted that he was correct. He read “Guidance and Cancelling” in the University! He could not write the course he claimed to have studied correctly.
googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('content1'); });
A GENERATION GONE ASTRAY
At the present rate of corruption in the educational sector in Nigeria, in the next 15 to 20 years, the nation will lack skilled and educated manpower. Presently, some companies are no longer interested in employing graduates from the Nigerian Universities. They now opt for graduates with certificates obtained from overseas or other African nations like Ghana and South Africa.
The present generation of Nigerian youths have been misled by those expected to guide them in life to believe that cheating and cutting corners will guarantee quick and lasting success in life.
googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('content2'); });
Who led them astray?
CULPRIT NO. 1: THE PARENTS
In series of interviews with teachers in the public and private school sectors, the teachers unanimously placed 40% of the blame squarely on the shoulders of the parents. According to the teachers, most parents are so desperate that their children should pass examinations that they are eager to pay for examination malpractice.
The examination malpractice virus is spreading like wildfire because parents are funding it massively. It is a virus that feeds on cash. If examination malpractice is starved of funds, it will die a natural death. Unfortunately, parents are pumping life into it. Ironically for the myopic parents, the virus they are pumping life into with their money, is pumping destruction into the future of their children.
Rather than discipline the children and ward to study and diligently prepare for examinations, parents prefer to neglect their God-given assignment of “bringing up the child in the way that he should go”. To compensate for parental failure, they proceed to worsen the situation by attempting to purchase “success” for their children. They forget that “success” cannot be bought, it can only be earned.
Ignorantly, they destroy the future of their children, while thinking they are helping them.
The situation has gotten so bad that it was reported that a man impersonated and wrote the examination for his daughter!
CULPRIT NO. 2: THE TEACHERS
In years gone by, integrity was the watchword of teachers. Today, compromise and corruption have almost taken over the profession. There is no way that examination malpractice could flourish without the connivance of the teachers. Parents do not invigilate examinations; teachers do.
During the investigating session with the teachers, most of them conceded that most teachers are not willing to teach anymore. For most people in the profession, teaching is just a meal ticket and not a profession which invests in the future of the next generation.
The unemployment crunch in the nation has driven many people that lack passion for the profession into the classrooms. This group of people are prepared to aid and abet examination malpractice for a fee.
These unscrupulous teachers are found in both the public and private schools. They are found in both urban and rural areas. As a matter of fact, people now deliberately register to write examinations in the rural centres where invigilation is not so strict.
The teachers agreed that those in the teaching profession should carry 30% of the blame.
CULPRIT NO. 3: COMMERCIAL PRIVATE SCHOOLS
In an attempt to attract clientele, some private schools boast that every student that enrols with them will score 9 Credits at one seating. While such a feat is not impossible, it becomes the 8th wonder of the world when nearly every student in the school achieves this feat!
Closely linked with the dubious private schools are Tutorial Centres that survive and thrive not by the quality of the teaching they offer, but by their expertise in examination malpractice. Some openly display posters that guarantee 9 Credits in one seating. (It should be noted that there are quality private schools in the country; it is the dubious ones that must be checked.)
The unscrupulous private schools share in the 30% of the blame meted out to the teaching profession.
CULPRIT NO. 4: THE GOVERNMENT
In ages to come, when the history of present day Nigeria is being presented, government in the present dispensation will be vilified. Government is not doing enough to fund education; neither is it using its authority to maintain discipline and a good standard of education.
The rampant nature of examination malpractice is sufficient indictment that government is careless with education.
A visit to most public schools will show the utter neglect that education has been subjected to. Private schools are flourishing because both the elites and the middle class have abandoned the public schools.
Ironically, most of the people in government today attended public schools. It is doubtful if any of them would allow their children to study in a public school.
According to the discussion with the teachers, government should carry 30% of the blame for the calamity.
CULPRIT NO. 5: THE STUDENTS
It is sad, but true. The average Nigerian youth is sensuous, carefree, pleasure loving and very myopic. The invasion of the foreign hip-hop culture on the Nigerian youth has been dysfunctional.
The youths are not interested in diligent study. Their prime time is now devoted to films on DVD, Satellite TV, parties and internet surfing. Having being spurred negatively by an insensitive media which projects hip-hop life style as a modern role model, the youths focus more on entertainment and fun rather than on laying solid foundation for the future through diligent study.
However, the blame for the acts of irresponsibility displayed by the youths must rest squarely on the parents, the teachers and the government. Since most of the youths engaging in examination malpractice have not reached the age of accountability, it is only natural that the parents, the teachers and the government must accept responsibility for the calamity that is befalling the nation.
CHANGING ACADEMIC VOCABULARY
In the past, words like “book worm”, “efiko” for efficiency, “oloru” (reference to someone studying too much at night) were common in schools.
Today, the vocabulary has changed. Words like “runs”, “orijo” (original examination leakage), “mercenary” (those who impersonate and write the examinations for dull students), “special centre” (examination centre where malpractices is practiced for a fee) now dominate the educational landscape.
DANGER IN EXAMINATION MALPRACTICE
There is a moral issue which cheating in the examination raises. In addition, there is the added dilemma that the youths are being taught from an early age to silence their conscience. What kind of future will the nation have if a generation has no conscience? What kind of leaders will the nation provide in future? What kind of husbands, fathers, wives, mothers, will exist in the nation? What kind of generation would a generation without conscience produce?
Apart from the problems identified above, once a student commences examination malpractice at the secondary school level, his career as a cheat must be progressive. When he enters the tertiary institution, he/she must continue to cheat since he/she lacks the basic academic stamina to cope with diligent study.
Invariably, the girls become campus prostitutes, while the boys join secret cult on campus. The girls progress in immorality to sell their bodies either in exchange for pass marks with the lecturers or to raise money to “settle” marks-for-cash.
The boys on the other hand proceed to join secret cults on campus to keep themselves busy, since they have no background in academic diligence. Cultism guarantees them the power to intimidate lecturers or run examination malpractice racket that eventually enables them to obtain a certificate.
A disturbing development now is the emergence of “graduates” in possession of NYSC Certificates, complete with photographs as a Youth Corper yet they are without a University certificate! How does this happen?
Examination malpractice may be reason why Universities are producing half-baked graduates that are unable to write a complete sentence correctly. A chicken writes considerably better when compared with what they scribble as handwriting.
The ultimate danger is experienced when the student “passes” out of the higher institution. He/she now has to defend what he/she neither worked for nor deserve. At the job interview level, the candidate cannot speak good English, cannot write a simple essay on “Who Are You?” or “What is Wrong With the Nigerian Police Force?”.
The result? Graduate armed robbers increase and prostitutes are multiplied.
RECOMMENDATIONS
Restoring the integrity of education is a task that must be diligently faced by this generation, for the sake of posterity. The generation that preceded this generation handed over a legacy of hard work and meritorious academic excellence. Such legacy must not die with the present generation. Therefore:
• The greatest responsibility lies on parents to ensure that their children and their wards give education priority attention. Added to this, parents must stop funding examination malpractice.
• Government must put legislation in place banning any form of examination malpractice.
• The government has the responsibility to monitor the private schools that are nothing but “special centres” and ensure that such illicit academic institutions are closed down.
• In addition, WASSCE, NECO, GCE and UTME examinations must be saturated with plainclothes security agents. Any invigilator that is caught engaging in examination malpractice must be arrested and prosecuted.
• It is heart-warming that churches are setting up schools. It will go a long way if the missions will go an extra mile and start providing free quality education. This should not be difficult since most of the ministers of the gospel enjoyed the benefits of free missions school education. It is written, “freely have ye received; freely give”.
• Corporate organizations should include free quality education, particularly to indigent youths and in low income areas, as areas of priority focus in Corporate Social Responsibility. The enormous amount of money that companies are spending on fun and entertainment are better applied to education. For a start, corporate entities should start adopting public schools.
• Companies that are incapable of running free education schools should consider setting up free tutorial classes for indigent students in low income areas.
• The media must play a positive role in the society and project diligent academic excellence as the preferable role model for the youths. The movie “Akeelah and the Bee” is a good model.
• Finally, government must avoid the temptation of politicising education. Educational policy must be re-appraised and promotion must be based on merit.
It is our collective responsibility to hand over a secured future to the coming generation.
JOIN IN THE FIGHT AGAINST EXAMINATION MALPRACTICE
Omodunni Emmanuel
googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('comments'); });