EXAMINATION MALPRACTICE: A MENACE IN THE EDUCATION SYSTEM BY ADISA BARAKAT OLUWATOSIN

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.

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. Examinations could be internal or external. It could be oral, written or both. Examination malpractice is any wrong doing before, during or after any examination. Although one may not be able to rule out examination malpractice in the past, the current trend is alarming and calls for proper management in order to rid the school system of its consequences.

Whereas in the past, students tend to hide the acts, now they advertise them with positive blatancy. The things that others thought right to draw a veil across, the modern biographer reveals with all the gusto of a showman. Ruwa (1997) traced back examination malpractice to 1914. He further reported that in the University of Maiduguri, about 25% of the students interviewed admitted to have engaged in one form of examination malpractice or another. In short, it has become an epidemic in the nation’s educational system, which needs a prompt attention.

Year-in-year-out, students come up with new dimensions of examination malpractices. This is the more reason why drastic steps must be taken. The instances of examination malpractices vary. They range from impersonation, leakage of questions, tampering with results, and computer fraud to fraudulent practices by invigilators, officials and security personnel charged with supervising examinations and so on. Parents are not left out of the business as they assist their children to carry out this criminal activity.

Examination malpractice poses a great danger to the individual involved, the education system and the society at large. Some of these dangers include; Not being able to defend the certificate (failure in job performance), perpetual condemnation of the conscience, possibility of unfulfilled dreams and vision, if the student is rusticated from school or terminated at the working place, spillover effect borne by parents and other relatives of culprits and many more.

However, certain things can be done to curb this education menance. There are certain truths that every student needs to be reminded from time to time; the consequences of examination malpractices is one of them. Every effort must be made to stop it as quickly as possible before it becomes a serious epidemic in the society. 

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 recognized 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.

ADISA BARAKAT OLUWATOSIN,

LAGOS STATE UNIVERSITY.