The Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, recently directed the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), the West African Examinations Council (WAEC), the National Examinations Council (NECO) and the National Business and Technical Examinations Board (NABTEB) to derecognise computer-based test (CBT) centres and prosecute candidates involved in examination malpractices.
This was contained in a letter by the Minister to JAMB and the concerned examination bodies on May 27, 2025. The minister’s decision was apparently in response to the unprecedented examination malpractices its recent Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME). The minister, however, suggested that any school/CBT centre involved in examination malpractice and/or acting as a “miracle centre” should be de-recognised for some years, to be determined by the examination body. He noted that the directive was also in accordance with section 16(2) of the Examination Malpractices Act, which states that, “an examination body may, in the exercise of its powers under this section, circulate the name of an offending candidate, supervisor, invigilator, official, school or examination centre to other examination bodies, which may impose similar punishment.”
Examination malpractice has always been a major challenge confronting the educational sector in Nigeria for many years. The federal government and different examination bodies have reacted in various ways to check the menace. Unfortunately, as the government positions itself to counter examination malpractice, students, parents, schools, and operators of various examination centres also devise new methods to perpetuate it.
The effect of examination malpractice on the education system has been enormous. These examination malpractices occur more during certificate examinations such as the Senior School Certification Examination (SSCE) organized by WAEC and NECO. It is also prevalent in university entrance examinations such as the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) organized by JAMB. It is disheartening that many students perform excellently well during these examinations, but when they are admitted to universities, they perform so poorly, which shows that their excellent certificates and entrance examination results are flukes. Reports have also shown that while in universities, these poor students continue the despicable practice of examination malpractice to cover up their poor academic background.
Many university students can barely defend their courses of study or write correct, coherent and logical submissions in simple standard English, which is the language of instruction in the country. In many cases, many university graduates can barely explain in basic terms the summary of their courses of study.
Many school proprietors and coaching centre owners are complicit in examination malpractice. They sometimes procure mercenaries to write exams for their students and then turn around to use the excellent results to advertise their schools and coaching centres. In many cases, too, parents are involved in examination malpractice by paying teachers to compromise the system and assist their children and wards during examinations. These practices have, on a large scale, destroyed education in Nigeria because the focus is not on knowledge and learning, but on success by all means.
When this attitude is carried to graduation, many graduates are not employable and when they manage to secure employment, they display a condemnable level of incompetence at work, which not only affects the establishment where they work but also the country’s development.
The federal government has done well to read the riot act to the different examination bodies responsible for organizing certificate and entrance examinations for students and candidates. But there should be stiffer penalties for persons who indulge in examination malpractice because it is a crime against humanity. These examination bodies should design regular orientation through the media to educate students and parents on the dangers of examination malpractice.
Punishing those culpable in the act is commendable, but not enough. We agree that the spate of examination malpractice in the country is high, but curiously, the public is hardly aware of anyone sent to jail or punished for examination malpractice. Therefore, the focus should shift from punishment to orientation and proper education against the scourge.
Before any certificate or entrance examination takes place, the concerned examination body should enlighten parents, teachers and school owners about the dangers of examination malpractice. Also, the penalties against examination malpractice should be enforced and the identities of the culprits published in major dailies as stipulated by the law.
The laws against examination malpractice and all laid down rules must not only be on paper. These laws and rules must be enforced. It is one thing for the federal government to read the riot act to examination bodies, but another thing to ensure that the laws against examination malpractice take full effect.
Indeed, it is difficult to aggregate the level of damage done to the country by incompetent people at the workplace who rose to their various positions through a fraudulent academic process. The federal government, in addition to the penalties for examination malpractice, should do more to check the menace.