CORRUPTION IN NIGERIAN SOCIETY
INTRODUCTION
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 res
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.
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.www.educative.blogspot.com
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 manpowerrequirements. 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 res
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.
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.www.educative.blogspot.com
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