- Examination: this is the process through which students are assessed or tested to find out the quality of knowledge obtained within a specific period of time.
- Malpractice: this is an act of doing wrong or illegal behavior while in a profession.
As you have no doubt figured out, this social menace is “Examination Malpractice”. Therefore, examination malpractice can be define as doing or performing wrong or illegal behavior in the process through which students are assessed or tested to find out the quality of knowledge obtained within a specified period.
The following are common forms of examination malpractice:
- Students unlawfully carry their textbooks or prepared answers on sheet of paper into the examination hall.
- Students pay in cash or sexual favours in order to get access to examination questions. They usually carry out these transactions with the examination supervisor, the examiner or any person who is in possession of the questions.
- Sometimes a student or a non-candidate is involved in exchanging or stealing other candidates’ scripts, or in the smuggling of answer scripts into the hall and in disorderly behavior that disrupts the progress of the examination.
- The unprepared candidate tries every means to copy, even draw out his neck to enable him copy from the prepared, talented colleague. At times the brilliant colleague deliberately exposes his answers to his colleague to copy in the examination hall.
- Student at times do deals in order to be awarded high scores. This can be done in three ways: the payment of an agreed amount of money, by using prominent and well-placed persons in larger society and also by sexual agreement.
- Lack of teaching facilities.
- Idleness and non-attendance of school.
- Lack of discipline in school.
- Unfavourable learning environments.
- Cultism.
- Economic hardship- with poor salaries and allowances, most teachers are in continuous financial humiliation. Since they need housing and accommodation, and the ability to train their children and, of course, feed their families, they are forced to engage in the unacceptable practice of selling question papers in order to survive.
- It leads to the poor quality of students and the educational system.
- It is an unfair and shameful act.
- It causes laziness and robs student of their abilities.
- It brings unthinkable suffering and hardship to innocent people, i.e. the cancelling of the entire examination or the withholding of results.
- It takes away our dignity.
- It wastes the time, energy and funds of parents, the government, schools and examination bodies.
- It is a crime punishable with imprisonment for twenty-one years (21years).
- Sufficient funds should be invested in creating favorable/ conducive learning environments in schools to enable students learn well.
- Godfathers, statism and tribalism are not helping the standard of education in this country. Therefore they should be avoided. Only qualified teachers should be employed in schools to teach the student.
- Adequate penalties should be meted out to offenders without fear or favor.
- Entrance into schools should be based purely on merit.
- Adequate employment of qualified and trusted personnel to supervise the examinations.
- Teachers should be satisfactorily motivated through attractive and prompt payment of their salaries and other entitlements. This will make the teachers feel happy and comfortable to teach their students. It will also cause the teachers to attach importance to their jobs.
- Armed security agents of integrity should be provided at public examinations and for the protection of Examination Officials.
- The provision of good counselors to channel the students into various program areas according to their abilities, interests and aptitude.
- The churches, opinion leaders, parents, law enforcement agencies and the chiefs of the community should join the campaign to fight examination malpractice.
These are the five common forms of these “Ability Killers” called examination malpractice.
We can identify the causes of the malpractice:
All these causes can be blamed on students, the government, parents, teachers and society. Therefore you have a personal responsibility to manage this issue. You can and should stop examination practice for the following reasons.
Oh! What a mess it’s really is.
There are a number of possible corrective measures, which I believe would eliminate 98% of examination malpractice occurrences:
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