Examination malpractice refers to any unfair and unconventional 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 to aid ones performance during examinations; copying other people’s answers or engaging other people to write for a candidate. Examination malpractice also include gaining a grade through any dubious or illegal means.
In whatever form it is done, examination malpractice means cheating and therefore is unfair and immoral. It is socially unacceptable and ethically inhibitive to intellectual growth. Psychologically, examination malpractice results in low esteem, inferiority complex, guilty conscience and low morale. The realization of the danger inherent in examination malpractice informed the promulgation of a stringent decree by former Head of State, General Ibrahim Babangida, which provided 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.
Nonetheless, statistics of internal and external examinations over the years show that malpractice has assumed an alarming proportion in spite of all concerted measures to stamp it out. A lot of reasons have been adduced to 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 official 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 at the detriment of their profession.
The result of this is that towards 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 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 on 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.
Parents also 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 positions their children take in class more than on the intellectual development of such children. Some fraudulent parents go the extent to bribe examiners or buy question papers before the examination in a bid to ensure their wards pass such examination. Sometimes, they pay other people called “mercenaries” to take examination for their children. Such impersonation are often overlooked by teachers and examiners because they have apparently been “settled”. It is also alleged that principals, external examiners, invigilators, supervisors and other agents often take bribe from students and consequently allow them to have a field day.
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. Let the examiners and school boards strictly enforce that culprits are reprimanded to end future havoc. It is commendable that the Anambra state government recently shut a school in the state for aiding examination malpractice. However, more needs to be done by governments at all levels. This will include increasing monitoring of these schools. Sack and imprisonment of teachers who abate or facilitate examination malpractice in their schools could also be made a regular exercise.
Beyond the school system, the society must stop glamourizing cheating in any form they appear – whether as in election malpractice or in giving chieftaincy or church titles to people with questionable wealth or character. When students see that the society in one way or the other support questionable lifestyles, they will come to conclude that what matters is not through what means but to what end.
Written by MRS. REJOICE UGO-NWAFOR/
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