EXAMINATION MALPRACTICE, FORMS, CAUSES AND RECOMMENDATIONS IN NIGERIA

KADUNA STATE UNIVERSITY
FACULTY OF SOCIAL AND MANAGEMENT SCIENCES
DEPARTMENT OF SOCIOLOGY

COURSE CODE: SOC218
COURSE TITLE: SOCIAL PROBLEMS AND SOCIAL WORKS


QUESTION
AS AN ADVISER TO THE MINISTER OF EDUCATION IN NIGERIA AND THE MINISTER IS PREPARING TO FACE SENATE OVER THE PROBLEM OF EXAMINATION MALPRACTICE IN NIGERIA. WHAT WILL BE YOUR GUIDE TO HIM AS RECOMMENDATIONS TOWARDS CONTROLLING THE EXAMINATIONS MALPRACTICE?

COURSE LECTURER: MRS MARYAM UMAR MUHAMMAD


 AUGUST, 2017






INTRODUCTION
One of the objectives of education in Nigeria is to prepare the young ones to face future challenges and develop them to meet the nation’s manpower requirements. Schools need to conduct examinations as yardstick for assessment. It is the most practical way of assessment in education. Examination malpractices has become a nauseating phenomenon in the Nigerian education system, thus posing a great threat to the standard of examinations in Nigeria and the acceptability of the worth of the certificates (Obudigha, 2010).
Before the advent of Western type of education, traditional Nigerian education was based mainly on experience and practice. Its mode of instruction was simple as knowledge was passed on orally and through practical tests. Students then had to commit to memory, learn by rote, or through observation. Because traditional Nigerian education placed little or no emphasis on certification, students had the proper view of education, seeing it as a means to an end not an end in itself. The Nigerian culture then frowned at dishonesty and would not hesitate to sanction offenders. Even parent and teachers also tend to be part of examination malpractice because Parent go to the extent of bribing their way through to ensure that their children's get unearned grades while teachers encourage examination malpractice because they lack the zeal to work but want to be praised for job not done. Consequently, there is need for the ministry of education to urgently rise to it feet so as to stand against the perversiveness of examination malpractice in Nigeria.
CONCEPTUAL DEFINITION OF EXAMINATION MALPRACTICE
First what is examination?
The  oxford  advanced  learners  dictionary  (2000)  defined  examination  as  spoken  or  practical  test  at school  or  college  especially  an  important  one  that  you  need  to  do  in  order  to  get  a  qualification.  The Wikipedia  further  asserted  that  a  test  or  examination  is  an  assessment  intended  to  measure  a  testtakers  knowledge  or  skill,  aptitude,  physical  fitness  or  classification  in  many  other  topics  (e.g. beliefs).  A  test  may  be  administered  orally,  on  a  paper,  on  a  computer  or  in  confirmed  area  that requires  a  test  taker  to  physically  perform  a  set  of  skills.  Examination  is  an  organized  assessment technique  which  presents  individuals  with  a  series  of  questions  or  tasks  geared  towards  ascertaining the  individual  acquired knowledge and skills  (Oduwaiye, 2014). Also ,Maduka (1993) defined examination as a way to ascertain how much of a subject matter in a particular field of study the candidate has mastered. Homby (1995) defined an examination as a formal test of somebody‘s knowledge or ability in a particular subject, especially by means of answering questions or practical exercises (p. 58). Balogun (1999) also defined it as the process through which students are evaluated or tested to find out the quality of knowledge they have acquired within a specified period.
What then is examination malpractice?
Examination malpractice is any wrong doing before, during or after any examination. According to Adedokun (2003), examination malpractice may be defined as to include misconduct or any other act not in consonance with the rules and regulations guiding the examination with a view to obtaining good result by fraudulent means. It occurs in both internal and external examinations. According to Ugwu (2012), examination  malpractice  is  a  deliberate wrong-doing  contrary  to  official  examination  rules  and  designed  to  place  a candidate  at  an  unfair  advantage. Examination  malpractice  as  defined  by  West  African  Examination  Council  (WAEC) (2003)  is  any  irregular  behaviour  or  act  exhibited  by  candidates  or  anybody  charged  with  the responsibility  of  conducting  examination  in  or  outside  the  examination  hall,  before,  during  or  after such examination with the  aim  of  taking  undue advantage.
FORMS OF EXAMINATION MALPRACTICE
The  following  are  some  identified forms of  examinations malpractice:-
1. Leakage:  This  means  that  the  content  of  examination  or  part  of  it  is  disclosed  prior  to  taking  the examination.  Usually  it  involves  one  or  more  of  the  following:  staff  members  of  the  examination authorities, printers, proof  readers, and messengers.
  2. Impersonation:  An  individual  who  is  not  registered  as  a  candidate  for  a  particular  examination  takes the  place  of  one  that  is  registered.  Usually  this  involves  collusion  between  the  chief  examiner  and  the examination  supervisor.  It  frequently  involves  tertiary  institutions  students  taking  the  test  for monetary  reward  or  a favour  for  a girl  friend or  boy  friend.
 3. Smuggling  of  Foreign  Materials:  This  is  perhaps  the most  common  form  of  malpractice.  It  relates  to the introduction of  unauthorized materials  (e.g.  parts or  whole  note  books,  text  books,  micro chips  and answers)  into  the  examination  hall.  Foreign  materials  are  frequently  smuggled  in  pants,  shoes,  hems and  bras  or  deposited  or  fixed  in  the  hall  prior  to  the  examination  or  even  smuggled  in  by  the candidates  or  their  aids  during  the examination.
4. Copying:  Copying  from  another  candidate‟s work  with or  without  permission. Collusion:  Unauthorized  passing  of  information  between  candidates  usually  by  exchanging  notes  or scripts.  This is usually  facilitated  by  inadequate spacing  between desks and  laxed  supervision. Afolabi (1998) said that
collusion involves exchange of scripts, passing notes for help from outside and
inside the hall; delaying commencement of examination in one centre to obtain
question paper from nearby centre which has started, collusion, arising from
bribes or threat to the lives and/or property of supervisors.
5. Makers  Malpractice:  Deliberate  alteration  of  marks  designed  to  inflate  or  deflate  a  candidate‟s original  mark.  This  can  be  initiated  by  examination  officials  or  candidates  (Eze,  2012  &  Olanipekun, 2013)
Mass cheating: here candidates in an examination hail at times are massively involved in one or some of the irregularities aforementioned.
CAUSES  OF EXAMINATION MALPRACTICE
The  idea  that,  in  Nigerian,  certificate  is  most  important  than  the  skills  to  deliver  is  what  prompted most  students  into  malpractice  so  as  to  have  the  required  certificate  to  be  there.  The  society  regards possession  of  certificate  as  Alfa  and  Omega  where  an  individual  is  only  recognized  if  he  possesses certain  certificate.  Other  factors  responsible  for  examination  malpractice  in  Nigeria includes:
Laziness,
lack  of  preparation  or  in-adequate  preparation  for  examination,
lack of  self  confidence,
poor  school  facilities,  (Lack  of  or  in-adequate  examination  hall)  poor  sitting arrangement,  socio-economic  factors,
political-undertone,
privatization  and  commercialization  of education,
 poor  invigilation,
weak  parental  function.  e.t.c.  (Onyechere 2004;  Awambor, 2004)







RECOMMENDATIONS TOWARDS CONTROLLING THE EXAMINATIONS MALPRACTICE IN NIGERIA
Below are the recommendations proposed to the minister of education who is is preparing to face senate on the problem of examination malpractice in Nigeria:

  Change  in  value  system,  the  situation  where  people  place  so  much  value  on  certificate  does  not augur  well  for  our  academics  as  it  encourages  examination  malpractice.  Sound  educational  policy should  be  put  in  place  with  de-emphasis  on  the  supremacy  of  certificates  over  skills  and professional  competence.
Students  who  engage  in  examination  malpractice  have  been  found  to  be  academically  weak.  The weakness  could  be  traced  to  faulty  foundation  in  their  educational  ladder.  It  is  therefore recommended  that  they  should  be  improvement  in  the  delivery  of  instruction  especially  at  the foundation  i.e primary  and  secondary  levels.
The  universities  should  guide  against  indiscriminate  admission  of  students  so  as  not  to  overstretch the  available  facilities.  The  National  Universities  Commission  (NUC)  is  waging  war  against     over-crowding  in  universities.  Universities  should  ensure  they  admit  only  qualified  students  and this  should  be  based on  available  facilities  as stipulated  by  NUC.
The  Federal  and  State  Government  should  continue  to  establish  more  universities  to  give opportunities  to more  candidates seeking  admission in  order  not  to over  stretch  facilities  in existing universities.  Considering  the  teeming  population  and  the  number  of  JAMBITES  who  meet  the  cut off  point  every  year,  we  recommend that  every  senatorial  district  should have  a  public university.
The  ban  on  the  use  of  mobile  cell  phones,  BBs  and  IPAD  in  examination  halls  should  be  enforced to check  the new wave of  e-cheating.
The  integrity  of  the  university  lecturer  is  important  in  curbing  examination  malpractice.  Lecturers and  supervisors  should  be  persons  of  proven  integrity.  The  invigilators  should  be  very  vigilant  in the  supervision  of  examination  and  should  be  fair  to  all.  The  question  of  double  standard  should not  arise.
Stakeholders  should  stop  paying  leap  services  to  Examination  malpractice.  Religious  and community  leaders  should  be  used  to  intervene  on  parents  who  insist  on  their  children  getting  the best  result  without  genuine  efforts for  it.
The  rigidity  and  timing  of  examinations  should  be  reviewed  in  such  a  way  that  when  a  student complains  genuinely  that  he  cannot  write  an  examination  another  time  suitable  should  be organized  for  him,  may  be,  in  form  of  summer  exams,  this  will  eliminate  the  phobia  of  failure which may  result  in  impersonation and other  form  of  malpractices.
Therefore, the above aforementioned recommendations if fully put into cognizant, will reduce if not eradicating examination malpractice in our educational system.


















CONCLUSION
Examination malpractice like  other  forms  of  misconduct  derails  the  educational  system.  The  whole system  is  rendered  meaningless  when  the  school  system  fails  to  instruct  the  young  to  fulfill  societies requirement,  exams  fail  to  select  the  best  according  to  stated  criteria  and  certificates  fail  to  record  the true  quality  and  accomplishments  of  students. If all efforts are not geared towards managing the examinations in schools the implication is that malpractices will increase and certificates issued at all levels will become useless, not recognised locally and internationally. The nation would be producing half-baked graduates. If we know that corrective steps should be taken if education will continue to serve as bedrock of development of our nation rather than becoming a prey to other nations through this cankerworm (Balogun 1995).












REFERENCES
Afolabi, (1998). Validity of public examination, the environment and sustainable development. Book of readings on education, environment and sustainable national development, Ife society of educators, published by Cardinal Crest Ltd.
Balogun, J.O (1995), Towards minimizing examination misconducts in the Nigeria school system. A paper presented at the school of education seminar on towards improving the qualities of education in Nigeria F.C.E. Panksbin
Balogun J.O.( 1999). Examination malpractices and the Nigeria society. The Jos Journal of education, 4(1), 110-116. Bluedorn H. L. (1994). A comparison of different methods and approaches to home schooling; In conjunction with the Trivium matrix; http:// www.triviumpursuit.htc
Hornby. AS (1995). Oxford Advanced learner’s Dictionary. 5th ed. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Maduka,  C.  (1993).  Examination  malpractice,  causes,  implications  and    remedies,  Benin,  Ambik Press.
Obudigha, W. (2010). Checking examination malpractice in Nigeria. Retrieved from http://wisdom4ward.blogspot.co.ke/2010/04/examination-malpractice-in-nigerian.html?m=1
Oduwaiye,  R.  O.(2014)  Students‟  Perception  of  Factors  and  Solution  to  Examination  Malpractices  in Nigerian Universities:  A  case  study  of  the University  of  Ilorin. www.academia.edu Olanipekun,  O.  2013;  Trends  in  Examination  Malpractice  in  Nigerian  Educational  System. www:ajhss.org.  
Onyechere, J. (2004). Consequences of Examination Malpractice.  www.ajol.info/index  Oxford advanced  learners dictionary  (2000)
Ugwu, C. (2012),  “The  menace  of  examination  malpractice,”  Availbale  at http://feathersproject.wordpress.com/tag/jambume/Tag Archives: JAMB/UME Accessed  8/27/12.

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