The National Examinations Council, NECO, says it is ready to totally root out malpractice in all its examinations.
Registrar of NECO, Prof Ibrahim Wushishi, stated this at a one-day sensitization workshop on examination malpractice, on Monday in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State with the theme, “The Role of Education Stakeholders in Tackling Examination Malpractice in Nigeria.”
Wushishi, who noted that there is urgent need to curtail the problem for Nigeria to ensure all-round development, called for concerted efforts to address the problem.
While the issue of examination malpractice as the biggest challenges bedevilling the conduct of public examinations, he said the workshop should address the ways and means that can be adopted to curb the menace and re-orient the minds of the youths concerning this cankerworm.
He added that no nation develops when its youths indulge in sharp practices such as examination malpractice.
“No doubt, examination malpractice has the tendency to discourage hard work among serious students, lowers educational standards, discredit certificates, and lead to the production of quacks, thereby affecting the manpower needs of the nation.
” We must therefore take collective responsibility to rid them of this bad habit of wanting to cut corners,” he said.
Speaking further, the NECO boss said the council has rolled out several measures to check the problem of malpractice in the conduct of all its examinations.
He listed the measures to include; Effective conduct of accreditation and re-accreditation exercise in schools, biometric data capturing of candidates to check impersonation of candidates registered for examination and to help identify miracle centres where examination malpractice are perpetrated.
Others are use of officers of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC, to provide security at examination centres to prevent miscreants/agents of examination malpractice, provision of covert operations by officers of the Department of State Service, DSS, to guide against compromising examination through the internet, daily distribution of examination question papers and other sensitive materials, monitoring of marking exercise to ensure that best practices are observed, among others.
On his part, Minister of State for Education, Honourable Goodluck Nanah Opiah, lavished praise on NECO for organising the workshop, even as he described it as a right step in the right direction.
While saying exam malpractice is a major threat to the aim of education, the minister said the workshop would create the desired awareness to eliminate the menace.
“Examination is a form of assessing the learners understanding, knowledge, ability and general comprehension of what they have been taught.
“This gives the teachers the feedback on their instructional processes. Evidence has shown the increasing incidence of examination malpractice by students and learners at all levels and this conflicts with the aim of education.
On his part, Akwa Ibom State Governor, Udom Emmanuel, said his government has also declared zero tolerance for examination malpractice.
Represented by Akwa Ibom State Commissioner for Education, Idongesit Etiebet, the governor described exam malpractice as a social plaque and commended NECO for its efforts in rooting out the problem.
He, however, lamented that many young Nigerians continue to devise various measures to perpetrate fraud during examination.