Examination malpractice in Nigeria is not recent. It dates back to the colonial era. The first examination malpractice in Nigeria was reported in 1914, when there was a leakage of question paper in the Senior Cambridge Examination. Examination malpractice has been defined variously by many scholars. Chukwemeka (2000), referred to examination malpractice a violation of examination rules and regulations by candidates.
Oluyeba and Daramola (cited in Alutu and Aluede, 2008) remarked that examination malpractice is any irregular behaviour exhibited by a candidate or anybody charged with the conduct of examination before, during or after the examination that controversies the rules and regulation governing the conduct of such examination.
Aliyu (2004) looked at examination malpractice as any irregular behaviour related to the examination exhibited by candidates or anybody charged with the conduct of examination or outside the examination hall before, during and after the examination.
In Nigeria, the last two decades have witnessed an alarming rate of increase in incidents of examination misconduct. Evidence abounds of increasing involvement in examination malpractice by students, teachers and parents, vanguard, 2005, weekend pointer, 2005; daily independent, 2004). Any rate of omission commission which comprises the validity, reliability and integrity of any assessment or evaluation system (that is, the violation of or disregard for examination ethnics (Obo, 2008). The incidence of examination malpractice has become so wide spread that there is virtually no examination anywhere at any levels and outside the formal school system that there is no one form of sharp practice or the other.
Joshua (2008), synthesized definitions of examination malpractice by defining the concept as any unauthorized or unapproved action, inaction, activity, behaviour or practice that is associated with the preparation, conduct and processing of examination and other forms of assessment, and carried out by any person involved in preparing forgiving, taking and processing that examination at any level. The incidences of examination malpractice are common everywhere any every examination season witness the emergence of new and ingenious ways of cheating. Through examination malpractice is neither a recent phenomenon nor is it peculiar to Nigeria or Africa (Awanbor, 2009). The alarming rate of increase is a global issue. The alarming rate of increase in examination malpractice in schools, Nigeria calls for concern from all stake holders in the education sector. Obot (2004) defined examination malpractice as wrong (illegal/immoral) doing in terms of acts of commission or omission during the construction, custodianship, administration, marking and releasing of examination results before, during or after such examinations. It has been widely reported that parents and teachers aid and abet examination malpractice directly or indirectly (Vanguard 2005, weekend, pointer 2005; daily independent, 2004 Nigeria tribune, 2009). Parents go to the extent of bribing their way through to ensure that their words get unearned grades while teachers encourage examination malpractice because they lack the zeal to work but want to be praised for job not done. (Alutu and Alvede, 2006).
According to Omoluabi and Uzoka (cited in Alutu and Alvede, 2006), the value system in Nigeria has broken down completely and so adults and youths alike act without moral scruples. This is the reason why examination malpractices still increase despite its grave consequences on the social political and economic structures of the nation. Examination malpractice Act No. 33 of 1999 stipulates a minimum punishment of fifty thousand naira (N 50,000) and a maximum of five years imprisonment, without option of five for violators of the offences stipulated in the Act.
Olaguirgu, (2004) in Jega (2006), defined examination malpractice as the absence of the adherence to the rules and regulation guiding the conduct of examination. The offences stipulated in the Act includes cheating at examinations, stealing of question papers, impersonation, disturbances at examination, obstruction of supervisor, forgery of result slip, breach of duty, conspiracy and aiding e.t.c government, examination, bodies, and other concerned citizens have made a lot of efforts to forestall the incidences of examination malpractice and the problems associated with the conduct of examinations in Nigeria. Examination malpractice is noted as fraud within the school system and does, occur at all levels of education right from nursery/primary, through secondary to tertiary levels of education in Nigeria. In fact examination malpractice is a peculiar corrupt practice within the education system. This practice is arriving strongly in our system irrespective of religious affiliations of the various stakeholders in the school system, thus making it real “Monster”.
This concept is a real monster because the cultures of hard work, academic excellence honesty, decency are fast eroding the present generation of youths in different institution of learning. This monster, examination malpractice, tends to weaken the validity of any examination and to make examination results worthless and unreliable. Actually, examination malpractice produces “error scores” in examination where student’s errand marks/scores above/below their abilities and the long terms effect is wrong placement in schools and employment of unskilled workers into various sectors of the economy.
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