Examination malpractice refers to any unfair, unconventional and illegal means of answering examination questions. It entails gaining undue knowledge of examination questions before they are administered, using notes, textbooks or any other unapproved material in the examination questions, copying other people’s answers or engaging other people to write for a candidate. Examination malpractice also include gaining a grade through whatever dubious means.
In whatever form it is done, examination malpractice means cheating, unfair and immoral. It is socially unacceptable and ethically inhibitive to intellectual growth. Psychological also, examination malpractice results in low self esteem, inferiority complex, guilty conscience and low morale. The realization of the dangers inherent in examination malpractice informed the promulgation of a stringent decree by former Head of State, General Ibrahim Babangida, which provides for 21 years imprisonment for anyone caught in the act. Moreover, all commissioners of education and educational boards have outlined policies aimed at penalizing anyone caught in the act.
Records and statistics of examination conducts over the years both internal and external have shown that the incidence of examination malpractice is assuming an alarming proportion inspite of all concerted measures to stamp it out. A lot of reasons have been adduced for the preponderance of this ugly trend. One of such reasons is that students are not properly taught. Most often, the teachers go on strike or when they are in school, they engage in other duties such that they hardly have time to cover their scheme of work. Some teachers also deliberately play truant, engaging in other money yielding ventures to the detriment of their profession.
The result of these is that towards the examination period, such teachers hurriedly rattle through the piling lessons. During examinations, students who could not grasp the lesson would resort to malpractice. Similarly, because of lack of teachers in the schools, the available ones are meant to teach the subjects which they are not proficient to teach. Consequently, students who did not understand such muddled up lessons fall back to examination malpractice. It is also argued that students who play truant and those with low intelligence quotient take solace in examination malpractice as a means of measuring up with the more intelligent and studious ones so as to avoid derision and reproach.
Investigations also reveal that parents contribute to the escalating incidence of examination malpractice. This, they, do, sometimes unwittingly, through their blind condemnation and rebuke of their children. Most of these parents give premium to the position of their children report card instead of on the intellectual development of such children.
Some fraudulent parents even go to the extent of bribing examiners or buying question papers before the examination in a bid to ensure their wards pass such examinations. Sometimes they pay other people called “Mercenaries” to take examinations for their children. Such impersonations are often overlooked by teachers and examiners because they have apparently been “settled”. It is alleged that principals, external examiners, invigilators, supervisors and other agents often take bribe from students and consequently allow them to have a field day.
Examination malpractice occur in varying forms, some of which are very innovative and stupendious. Most often, students gain knowledge of exam questions in advance. This has become a recent phenomenon as it still lives academic managers in open ended question “how does it happen”? An examination paper prepared by experts and sealed by the authorities under lock and key suddenly develops wings to fly.
Some students also forecast examination questions and prepare extensive notes on such likely topics. They also smuggle in textbooks, notes, leaflets or answers copied on small pieces of paper. Some copy on their handkerchief, palms, laps, scapping of desks or tables, chairs, walls and other sundry places. Students peep into other candidates’ works and copy their answers. This method is nicknamed ” giraffing”. Where this method is impossible, they ask for clue or answers even in the examination halls. Even after the examination, some students either pay an avalanche of money or any other acceptable motivation to the exam officers to get high scores inspite their poor performance.
This trend must be put to an end because this unfortunate successful students will sooner or later manage our industries, government affairs, churches, mosques, and other human endeavors. Because they never got their success on merit, the effect will be total damage to any system they find themselves in. Let the examiners and school boards strictly enforce that culprits are unmercifully reprimanded to end future havoc.
WRITTEN BY REJOICE UGOCHUKWU-NWAFOR
Comments are closed for this post.