PRESENT STATUS OF EXAMINATION MALPRACTICE IN NIGERIAN

PRESENT STATUS OF EXAMINATION MALPRACTICE IN NIGERIAN EDUCATIONAL  SYSTEM

Many scholars and commentators on examination malpractice have suggested many reasons or causes and the present state of examination malpractice in Nigeria. In this paper the following are considered as some of the causes and fallen status of examination malpractice in Nigeria.

Unqualified Teachers: As a result of unqualified teachers who find their way into the profession i.e. those who are not grounded in education coupled with the obsolete laboratory equipment in many secondary and tertiary institutions, examination malpractice seems to be the practice by The Kumbotso Teacher Educator July 2011 Edition Vol. 2 No. 2 the learners in these institutions to pass examination. This attitude of passing examination by any means is seriously affecting the quality of our education and its products.
Preference for Abstraction: Public sector and other employers of labour give preference to certificate than competence and capacity. Consequent upon this, the craze to obtain certificate by all means is on the increase. As a result of this craze, nobody seems to bother about competence and capability in terms of employment.
Parents’ Misplaced Priority: Parents especially elites prefer their children to become medical doctors, engineers, lawyers, bankers etc, even though, such children may not possess the appropriate potentials to be one. In a bid to realize their hopes, such parents do encourage their wards to practice or engage in examination malpractice.
The Role of Politics: Some students especially those that are involved in partisan politics do engage in examination malpractice knowing well that even if caught, they can go scot free as some powerful politicians may be their mentors.
Bribery and Corruption: Some Children/Students that are from well to do parents can bribe their principals, headmasters, teachers, examination officials and other stakeholders to have their way, i.e. to pass their examination even if they do not merit it.
Non-Enforcement of Examination Malpractice Decree 20 of 1984: Ever since the examination malpractice Decree was promulgated it has not been enforced to the extent that majority of students in our educational institutions are not aware of the decree due to its non-enforcement. That is why students that are involved in examination malpractice tend to go scot free.

Students Explosion: All the levels of our educational institutions experience students’ population explosion. For classrooms that are designed to accommodate 30-40 students/pupils they now tend to accommodate 200-500 students. If we are to implement UNESCO standard which is teacher-learner ratio of 1-25, the overcrowded classes that are witnessed in our schools would

Drastically be reduced. But what actually obtains in most public schools is the contrary. A teacher, having 200-500 students as against 25 cannot possibly have effective control of that class (Mu’azu, 2009).
Quest for cheap popularity: Some teachers want to gain cheap popularity from their students/pupils to the extent that they leak out examination questions to them. Such teachers are often termed as “teachers who will enter the heaven” by their students.