EXAMINATION MANLPRACTICE AND OUR FUTURE AS A NATION (NIGERIA)
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
EXAMINATION MANLPRACTICE AND OUR
FUTURE AS A NATION
Remember that
Examination malpractice is an archaic or improper, illegal or nagging,
professional activity facilities by students to upgrade their selves in Exams
or deliberate act of wrong doing by students in different geographic areas
during examination.
There is one
problem which if well tacked and eradicated Nigeria will become a better place
again where credibility and integrity is respected. That problem is actually
the topic of this write up.
WHAT IS THIS EXAMINATION
MALPRACTICE?
As I said earlier it is also a form of illegal and
unauthorized assistance given to a single candidate or group of candidates in
an examination. illegal and unauthorized in the sense that by examination
bodies concerned.
Gone are the
days when candidates that are preparing either for their SSCE or JAMB
examination had sleepless nights and exam fever crude with fear at the mere
thought that an examination awaits them. Gone are the days which students
embarked on (IDBS) (full day Breaks) reading for their exams. Gone are the days
when students dreaded examination hall more than they would a prison yard cell.
Gone are the
days when examination halls were as quite as grave yards just because every
students was concentrating on his or her own work and will not dare allow a
pencil drop or turn a head ground.
Gone are the
days when it will be the thing of shame for you to be caught cheating in an
examination. All of these are shamefully? missing today and our leaders and
lawmakers do not seen to be bothered about it.
What we have
today are pictures of a miserable society that is digging its grave with its
own hands. It has even gone shamelessly, beyond that for the society is not
only digging its own grave but is even writing the script for the burial rites.
The students that are preparing (?) for examinations are no longer because
these supposed candidates show no obvious sign like reading or positive concern
for the task ahead. (TDBS) are no longer the order of the day. When it is
either for partying or watching the eve increasing Nigerian Home videos. All of
these is because the examination are always been seen before the examination or
even when they are not gotten prior to the examination, answer are read out.
Written on the board or better still soured and photocopied for easy handling.
Examination
are now usually like market places (market transaction) with candidates looking
over their shoulders into the books of others is as less a crime as breathing
air.
Today if you
don’t cheat in an examination or go in with chokes, you are a Jew Guy,
The reason for this trends not far-fetched and I stand to be
challenged and corrected.
The
proliferation of private schools at the end of eighties and early niceties. if
you disagree with me go back along memory lane if you are old enough to
remember. Cases of malpractice existed right from time but those who partook
were always at their own. Let me explain this a little: since most schools were
either owned by government or run by missions, there were high level of
discipline and morality. The advent of the private schools which refer to as
business centers, with reasons which I will explicate on more shortly things
started to deteriorate because their main aims of setting up such schools were
for profit purposes, morality and discipline were thrown to the wind. Profits
and gains were now high up in the cards.
My reason for
calling them business centers is that most of these schools have nothing to
offer except the business which is the topic of discussion here. You will
sometimes hear to management of such schools says (when they have a project to
undertake) lets wait until after WAEC/NECO
registration.
This actually
is their reason of harvest. Private schools it is that perfected and refined
the techniques of examination fraud that it has left many convincingly saying
it cannot be stopped in Nigeria.
Pathetically
and most regrettably, our tomorrow looks very bleak to be mild. What we are
planting will definitely be reaped tomorrow we have spent many hours arguing,
swearing, blaming and causing our present leaders for our misfortunes as a
nation.
Many of us
have argued that unless the old brigade is replaced with fresh blood things
will never go right for us. I have been since trying without success to see the
truth in the argument. My reason is not far fetched; our present leaders had
proper education and were well equipped for their vocation in life. They wrote
their examination properly and passed through Universities. If these will breed
Nigerians are squandering our nation’s resources. This way, how their can I, be
convinced that with these examination malpractice bred generation, Nigeria can
get better. I am looking for some one to convince.
Moreover, our
certificates being rejected abroad due to it’s loss of credibility, how
shameful for us as the giant of Africa we must all join hands to expunge
examination fraud from our nation enough is enough.
My final line
goes to those holding certificates that do not really depict their efforts
forever. You will always remember that the result you have is not yours because
malpractice have disintegrated many people from not doing their job well this
compendium contains three chapters completing is ten pages.
CHAPTER TWO
COLLEGE AND UNIVERSITY EXAMINATION
MALPRACTICE AND CAUSES
What leads to examination
malpractice?
What causes examination malpractice?
It is painful
to hear that there is increase in examination malpractice by students from
different parts of the world.
Examination
malpractice also known as cheating is the illegal action that students take
during their examinations to try to make good grades by cutting corners.
The question
is what causes this? Do students cheat because they like doing it? What makes
students engage in examination malpractice as if there is no other option?
Examination
malpractice has done more harm in different dimensions, first in Nigeria,
accommodation malpractice problem does not depend on only one party is both
inter and intra over generalization facing everybody like grammatical blunders,
perhaps, examination malpractice has done a lot of harm to students, since many
of them have neglected their books with the hope of “performing magic”. They
are used to performing in every examination. it is rampant in secondary
schools, Colleges, Polytechnics and Universities.
In certain
countries, it’s no longer a new thing to see people who try to fight cheating
actually promote cheating itself. many students indulge in such practice
because they want to achieve academic excellence and get good marks e.g. one
certain time in, around June, 2009 when I was in m community Omasi-Agu (Akpuite
kingdom of Anambra state) one National
youth service Corps were cut at Aguleri Anambra state during corps (NYSC)
National conference though to, vomiting of grammatical blunders and inadequate
of defending his status, during the little oral interview, he purposefully,
explained that he didn’t marked to become a corps that it etymologically from
secondary school, he forged certificate to JSS3, brought another person WASCE
result and now he wiped the original person’s name who suppose to be in service
and wrote his own name with some capitals he offered to his HOD.
THE CAUSES OF EXAMINATION
MALPRACTICE
There is
always a reason for any action that another person takes be it legal or illegal
action students do not engage themselves in examination malpractice just
because they want to do it rather there are such illegal actions it has eaten
deep into the blood of Lazy students and they think that nothing can stop them
from playing such “game”
The causes of
examination malpractice among students includes
Ø Laziness,
Ø Lecturers
and teachers weakness
Ø Weak
parental functions
Ø Personal
influence
Ø Supervisors
Ø Weakness
Ø Lack of
self-confidence and
Ø Government
failure.
LAZINESS
This is a
menace that many students suffer from any students that gets infected by this
disease rarely recovers according to the definition of the Lord, Lazy from
concise Oxford Dictionary.
It is
unwillingness to work or use energy many students do not want to work hard
through studying to make their parents and sponsors proud by graduating with
good results.
They think
that making good result is a bed of roses that is why they want to pass their
examination through cut-corners. There by getting involved in examination
malpractice. It is one of the major challenges in Nigeria and other countries
when it comes to students.
Some students
are lazy and derive Joy in doing something their parents don’t want them to do
they devote most of their time to having fin with their fellow lazy ones and
neglect the basic thing which is their study. Some students forget that
education is important to every nation which is why their parents sent them to
school.
They can
watch many lends of films both phonographic in a day without even having time
to look into their books an acquire skills through their study. What of
attending parties in many hostels? To attend any party any student wishes is
not bad but It becomes a problem when the student forgets the reason he’s there is to study. partying is part of
student life but sometimes the lazy ones see it as their only purpose. the only
reason they don’t attend a party on school premises is either because they did
not hear about it or because they traveled. Lazy student’s should wake up from
their slumber to avoid being involved in examination malpractice. Examination
malpractice due to laziness leads to downfall and disaster to those students
that in deluge in it.
LECTURE’S AND TEACHER’S WEAKNESS
it’s
unfortunate to hear that the incapacity of some lectures and teachers in many
parts of the world is one of causes of examination malpractice. The weakness
among lectures is one of the major problems of the education sector of African.
lecturers
do not finish most of the course outlines they have for an academic semester
before giving examinations to the students even in the area that students for
that academic year. tell me how students will achieve academic excellence in
that situation? as a result, students are compelled to get good grades by hook
or by crook. there are also wicked lecturers who enjoy watching their students
fail. what teaching methods do some
lecturers or teachers apply when teaching the student in their individual
campuses? do the students really comprehend such a teaching method? are the
teachers qualified to teach students in their individual level? some teachers
do not deserve to be called teachers because they do not look into the method
they use in teaching students in their classes.
many teachers
that takes care of the students in various school are not qualified and are not
properly trained. this is the reason that some student engage in malpractice
during examinations. what can an unqualified lecturers offer to undergraduate
students in Universities? this results in examination malpractice that can take
the form of smuggling in their notebooks and textbooks into the examination
halls.
WEAK PARENTAL FUNCTIONS
it is
shameful that some parents do not perform their functions as true parents, some
primary school students are not really being taken good care of by their
parents. some parents do not encourage their children to work hard and make it
on their own. some parent are careless of the importance of education to
nations.
this makes
the students feel reluctant and as a result, they do not take their studies
seriously. such children grow with this habit and carry it with them into
higher institution. when they get to the institutions and see that things are
not easy over there, their next alternative is to indulge in examination
malpractice.
again, some
parent do not take good care of their student in terms of sponsoring them
financially, they do not give them balanced financial support in their
individual institution. when student are not given the money to buy textbooks
for their study, they will not be
balanced to enter into examination halls and write their examinations,
the female student engage in immoral activities in order to make money for
their studies thereby neglecting their books because they are always going
about offering “back on the ground services” to the young and old men around
the campus.
this result
in malpractice because they do not have time for their book because they were
in search of money. many are willing to achieve academic excellence but are
constrained by certain factors. singles parenthood is another factor that contributes to examination
malpractice in many school world wide
because the student are being trained by a single parent they may engage
in other activities to make more money and support their learning because, of
the fact they have divided attention, they do not have enough time to study
their books properly.
PERSONAL INFLUENCE
in some
countries where corruption is to order of the day, all student are not given
equal treatment. student who are born by the notable men in the country are
favored or allowed to do as they wish one of the challenges in Nigeria and
countries with corrupt education. the daughter of the Governor of that state can enter the examination hall
with a “white paper” without being
shunned by the examination supervisor, she is allowed to cheat because she is
the daughter of the Governor of the state but in countries where nobody is
above the law, no student of any kind is treated differently no matter who your
parents are in the society.
LACK OF SELF CONFIDENCE
Many setbacks
that people have in this present world is because they lack self-confidence. In
the same angle, student engagement in examination malpractice can be traced
back to lack of confidence as well self confidence in this context is when a
student believes and has faith that he will make it in examination without
cheating.
Many student
get involved in malpractice during examination because of they doubt that they
can get an excellence result without having a microchip attached to their body.
SUPERVISORS WEAKNESS
It is
discouraging to hear that examination supervisors who are supposed to prevent
malpractices in examination halls now promote it. It is not new to hear in some
African countries like Nigerian that supervisors encourage malpractice in
examination by collecting bribes from student or the candidates that came for
examination. It is a big problem with the education sector of Africa. They also
collect bribes from impersonators who wrote examination for other candidates.
In some
cases, these people snuggle out question papers from the halls, get people to
solve the question and distribute the answer to the exam candidates and collect
money in return.
GOVERNMENT FAILURE
This point
houses a lot of things the Government bears the bulk of the blame when it comes
to examination malpractice. They do not pay attention to the student in their
country through this is exceptional in a few countries.
The truth
remains that the number of Government is that fail in their duties is more. how
equipped are the laboratories and mechanical workshop used by the technical
student? there should be practical youth
in tertiary institution for easy understanding. The government do not provide
or send strong supervisors to various examination conducted in many countries.
This makes it easy for the student to enter examination hall with microchips
because they know that no body will give them a tough time. if government are
serious about fighting malpractice of any form during examination, they should
make it their duty to send strong regulators during examinations in various
school across the country.
CHAPTER
THREE
EFFECTS OF
EXAMINATION MALPRACTICE AND CONCLUSION
Examination malpractice
according (Itotoh 2001) has many effects to the students and people of such
interaction, because they are the pillars of malpractice deviators.
The effects
includes the following:
1. unable to defend his status.
2. insulting and damaging of ones image.
3. exposing of ones error in any unit of thought or syllabus.
4. dumping of certificates or rendering certificate valueless.
5. examination malpractice does not favor students nor give
them rooms to correct their selves rather it makes them unable to acquire job.
Conclusion
Students engage in examination malpractice thinking that
they are smart without knowing that they are harming themselves of what
importance will be to a student who cannot defend the certificate he acquired from
where he studied. We must fight examination malpractice together. Some of the
causes of examination malpractice as discussed are: laziness lecturers and Teachers weaknesses, weak parental function,
personal influence, Supervisors weakness, lack of self confidence and
Government failure. As a student of English double major writing on
examination malpractice I, advise every collar’s to say no to examination
malpractice of any kind, and to fight it if given any opportunity in your
location.
REFRENCES
· Ajol Journals Advance search 2002 vol,
8, No 1.
· Education system Of African problems and
solutions by Uzochukwu Mike.
· Akubue H25 (991) classroom organization and
management A5- point Strategy Ibadan
wisdom Publishers.
· Oxford Advanced Learner’ Dictionary
· Challenges in Nigeria and solutions on how to
resolve them By Uzochukwu Mike.
· Jk Adeyimi, Am Akinidele (200) Journal on Examination malpractices causes, effects and way
out.
· Nigeria Journal of clinical and counseling psychology
vol 8 (1) 2002: 52-76.
