Follow Us on Google
By Damiete Braide
Examination malpractice is an act where some students, parents, teachers and schools collaborate to assist students to cheat during examination.
Students who are caught are made to face the consequences while those who are not caught continue the examination malpractice.
Education Review sought the opinion of students to know why the act is rampant and proffered possible solutions to the issue.
Favour Obaseki, a JSS 3 student, Flourish Hall High School, Ibeju-Lekki, Lagos said
” It is no news that examination malpractice is on the increase and the reasons are not far fetched.
Students are becoming lazy with their studies as they no longer spend quality time to study.
Most times they are on social media focussing on irrelevant things that cannot impact positively on their lives.
” The issue of peer group influence is there just as the popular adage “show me your friend and l will tell yiu who you are. lf the type of friends you keep are lazy with their academics it will also rob off on you.
” When we look at the cause critically, solutions will suffice.
If students change their attitude and approach towards reading. They will not engage in it.
Also, if parents can invest more of their time (daily) on their children.
While teachers should be more dedicated towards their job and appreciate who they are in the society.
Teachers are moulding the future of leaders
” The Government would place premium on school monitoring and all offenders should be punished, this definitely will reduce examination malpractice in the country
Every party involved from the Student
Who is to be held responsible for this act, Favour adds oarents
Teacher and
even the government who do not monitor some of these issues.
” There are so many schools that don’t have facilities and yet there are no sanctions and when government officials visit such schools, they look the other way round.
” Parents also play a role. These days our parents become so busy that they barely have time out to check on their wards’ academic progress in school.
All they are interested in is to see that at the end of every session their child is in the next class
“Here also some private schools are found wanting by lowering standards so that no child will be made to repeat a class not to offend parents, who most times will remove such a child from the school
Similarly, Munachi Ajali Bethany, an SS3 student, Flourish Hall High School, Ibeju-Lekki added ” Examination malpractice is on the increase because that is is being promoted in the society i.e fast success syndrome. A lot of students get a way with examination malpractice, others want to do it too, therefore the increase in it..
” I will not point fingers at anyone because the truth is that in one way or another, all of them are at fault. The schools, hoping for good reviews, engage in examination malpractice. The teachers, hoping to get paid more for a lot of students passing their subjects, write the answers for the students therefore engaging in examination malpractice.
The students, being so lazy and hoping on miracle centres, decide to pay people to either write for them or provide materials or chips they need.
” There are a lot of ways examination malpractice can be curbed. Such as implementing rules to make those who disobey them pay heavily. There should also be awareness programmes to educate students know the negative effects of examination malpractice.
Shodayo Emmanuel, an SS3 student of Agboju Senior Secondary School, Agboju said examination malpractice is on the increase due to lack of parental care to wards because parents fail to teach their children about the repercussions of examination malpractice.
For me, schools, teachers, and students are all to be blamed for examination malpractice because these three factors collaborate with each other, which brings about examination malpractice.
The government can curb examination malpractice by providing adequate facilities, equipment and other necessities for schools.
Joy Anosike, an SS3 student of Awori Ajeromi Senior Grammar School, Agboju said ” Examination malpractice has been happening for years and it has eaten deep into the educational system in Nigeria. For example, if a child is doing something wrong and an adult fails to correct that child at that moment, the child will grow up with that behaviour or habit thinking it is right.
It is proper for for the adult to correct the child when the child dies the wrong thing and the child will not do that same thing the next time.
The government has failed to curb examination malpractice and that is why, it is on the increase because there are no strict punishment for it.
” It is also on the increase because some students find it difficult to read because they know that they will indulge in examination malpractice.
” Looking at the situation of things in the country, the country is corrupt, some of the citizens are corrupt, which makes examination malpractice a corrupt act.
” It is also coming from some teachers and schools to perpetrate examination malpractice. Even when some students are not willing to partake in it, just as the saying goes, ” Charity begins at home” and that student is trained properly by his/her parents that are responsible, because the child knows that it is wrong to participate in examination malpractice, that student will not indulge in it.
“Some teachers engage in examination malpractice because they get paid because students are made to contribute to examination malpractice.
In some school, students that pay for examination malpractice are kept in a separate class from those that did not pay.
Anosike is of the opinion that there should be awareness like seminar of examination malpractice in the country.
In my school for example, there are debates, where students talk about the positive and negative sides of examination malpractice. With this, the school educates the students on examination malpractice.
The government should create more awareness by sensitizing the youths and children in primary schools.
‘ There should be strict punishment for students who engage in examination malpractice so that other students will learn from it.
