Various Dimensions of Examination Malpractice

Examination malpractice occurs in various dimensions in the school system, and at different stages of the examination namely: pre-examination phase, during examination and post-examination phase. At each phase, the formal dimensions differ, sometimes; the dimensions are peculiar to institutions of learning where examination malpractice is practiced.
A.    Pre-Examination Phase: Before the commencement of most public examinations, some misconducts normally occur which include:
i.    Registration of non-school candidates for monetary gains by the school administrators.
ii.    Migration from towns to interior villages by students/candidates, some of them supported by their parents/guardians.
iii.    False continuous assessment scores by teachers.
iv.    Registration of more candidates then the available functional sitting capacity in most examination centres.
v.    Collection of money from candidates prior to examination dates by invigilators/supervisors to facilitate malpractices at examination halls.

vi.    Imposing impersonators' photographs on original registration forms by school administrators.
vii.    Sometimes, some candidates do pay for two registration forms.
viii.    Leakage from examination bodies where questions are circulated either through soft/electronic or hard copies to anxious candidates for payments of various amounts of money.
B.    During Examination Phase: It is almost impossible to enumerate the various forms of examination malpractice that occurs in schools. At this stage, the students are daring, ready to implement their pre-planned dimensions of cheating 'manufactured by them'. However, some common malpractice include copying from neighbours through giraffing, use of prepared materials, notebooks, textbooks, magazines, asking questing from fellow candidates, using the backside of question papers, using handkerchief, underwear (skirts, pants, singlet, pockets of trousers) to write answers, use of cell phones within the hall with stored answers to receive and sent text messages to their friends/mercenaries outside examination halls, use of prepared materials copied on mathematical sets, stockings and socks, wrapper etc. use of under caps/hats to hide prepared materials, writing on designated desks and walls near seats in examination halls, placing of reading materials to their thighs with rubber bands, disposition of prepared materials in braziers (common among female students), and many others nefarious ways of cheating during examinations.
C.    Post-Examination Phase: Examination malpractice often occurs also after the examinations must have been taken. Common forms at this state include:
i.    Re-packaging of scripts to include those written outside examination hall in collaboration with invigilators/supervisors.
ii.    Payment of money to examiners/markers for some favours, including re-writing the examination.
iii.    Corrupt practices of computer operators in examination bodies who obtain money from candidates to change grades/scores.
iv.    General 'sorting' particularly with officials of examination bodies and examiners to post grades that they never earned or merited (Joshua 2008, Ojerinde, 2005 in Obo, 2008).
Perpetrators of Various Forms of Examination Malpractice
    Examination malpractice is perpetrated by most stakeholders in the education sector of our nation. They include:
1.    The Students: The primary culprits in this menace are the students themselves. Students are no longer hardworking, they have little or no interest in studying to know and studying to face examination on their own, they lack concentration, during studies, have poor study habits and are generally restless, lazy and easily distracted by activities in the environment. Most students care less about culture of hard work and academic excellence, and so become ill-prepared for most examinations. Students no longer have confidence in themselves to write and pas any examination, without cheating. Dishonesty has become the order of the day, while honesty during examinations is no longer a virtue to covet by students. Dishonesty in examination halls is now an acceptable behaviour and life style.
2.    The Teachers: Often times, shamefully, some teachers who are supposed to be custodians of academic honesty and discipline, are perpetrators of examination malpractices in schools. Some shameless teachers help students during examination by bringing into examination rooms worked answers to the test items, writing the answers on the boards, and distracting invigilators/supervisors by offering refreshments in the teachers' offices during examination to the officials. This is done with the sole aim of following the students to cheat at will during examinations with the full support and co-operation of teachers:
3.    Parents and Guardians: Some parents/guardians and other significant others in the family also aid students to cheat during examinations. The parents become syndicate in perpetrating examination malpractice because they are the sole financiers of some the malpractice activities. They provide monies to their children/wards for payment to different persons and agents of examination malpractice. Often times, some parents go outright to negotiate with officials at examination centres to look the other way, and allow their wards to cheat in examination halls, or help in sending unauthorized materials to them. Some go directly to the examination bodies to negotiate higher scores for their children/wards.
4.    School Administrators: Most school administrators in private, government and mission schools such as headmasters/headmistresses, principals often times are shamefully involved in examination malpractice to maintain "100% pass" in public examinations.
5.    Private School Proprietors/Proprietresses: These groups of people take part in examination malpractice for the reasons of obtaining increase in enrolment for more personal financial benefits. Again, most proprietors/proprietresses of private school get involved in examination malpractices of various forms to increase or maintain the popularity in/of their schools.
6.    The Government: The government at various levels also contributes indirectly to encourage examination malpractice in areas of poor condition of service to teachers and setting unrealistic and intimidation standards/expectations. Teachers are very poorly paid and so often engage in long strikes which often result in pupils/students staying more at home than being in schools, yet they have to face public examinations. Some state governments require their principals to record certain percentage pass by students in their schools or face sack, demotion or stagnation. Such policy definitely encourage cheating by principals.
7.    The Society: The Nigerian society views certificate as evidence or proof of knowledge, rather than skills exhibition. Every parent is eager to see his/her child obtain 5 – 10 credits at O' Level at a sitting. We all are in a hurry, and so pay extra for the children to go to rural areas to register for examinations where cheating is at a very high rate.
8.    Examination Bodies/Investigators: Many examination officers who conduct examinations for West African Examination Council (WAEC), National Examination Council (NECO) and Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB) are perpetrators of examination malpractice. Money is at the centre of the many reasons these officers refuse to adhere to examination ethics.
9.    Poor/Inadequate Infrastructures: Most examination halls are grossly inadequate for examinations, no adequate writing desks, no adequate lighting, no good ventilation etc. Most often overcrowding and discomfort due to poor facilities, and cheating in examination.
10.    The Law Enforcement Agents: Unfortunately for Nigeria, the law enforcement agents such as the police personnel often drafted to maintain discipline, keep rules and regulations, are often greatly involved in examination malpractice. They do this by collecting large sums of money from students and school authorities to allow students to cheat during examinations. This in itself is very disappointing for a developing nation like Nigeria.

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