ASSESSMENT OF THE IMPLEMENTATION OF GOVERNMENT MEASURES FOR CONTROLLING EXAMINATION MALPRACTICES IN NIGERIA

ABSTRACT

 

The study was carried out to investigate assessment of the implementation of government measures for controlling examination malpractices in Ebonyi State secondary schools. The study made use of a descriptive survey research design. The population comprised principals and teachers in Ebonyi State public secondary schools. The sample size for the study was 600 respondents, comprising of the entire population of the principals and 396 teachers selected using simple random sampling technique. A researcher-developed questionnaire was the instrument for data collection. Three experts validated the instrument while cronbach alpha reliability method was employed to obtain the internal consistency estimate of the instrument. Four research questions and four hypotheses, tested at 0.05 level of significant guided the study. Mean and standard deviation were used to provide answer to the research questions while t-test statistic was adopted to test the four hypotheses. A review of literature and empirical studies was conducted to provide the researcher with the theoretical base for the study. A-25 item questionnaire on the assessment of the implementation of government measures for controlling examination malpractices was used to get information from the respondents. The items were rated on four point scale. The following findings were made. That court trials of officials caught aiding malpractices, principals and teachers to loose their jobs, ten years ban for schools and universities to reject students blacklisted for examination malpractices are to a great extent effective measures for controlling examination malpractices. Recruitment of job seekers to be based on knowledge and experience, forfeiting of retirement benefits by officials involved in malpractices and with holding as well as cancellation of candidates papers are also important measures by the government for controlling examination malpractices in the schools. That giving prizes to students who performed excellently in examination by the school authority will to a very great extent reduce the incidence of examination malpractices in the schools. Inculcation of reading culture, recognition of parents and guardians whose children exhibited outstanding discipline are effective motivational measures for controlling malpractices by the government. Other motivational measures include recognition and rewarding of officials and security agents that put up outstanding services and public orientation by school administrators to candidates on the effects of adequate preparation for examinations as well as ensuring good examination environment and proper conduct during examinations. Appointment of seasoned and experienced staff as supervisors, proper spacing in the hall as well as controlling the movement of both candidates and officials in the examination halls are adequate supervisory measures for controlling malpractices. Other supervisory measures are providing conveniences, netting examination hall windows and subject teachers not being allowed to supervise their subjects are also effective. The finding also identified handing over schools to the missions as a very effective religious measure for controlling examination malpractices among others.

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

Background of the Study

The West African Examination Council (WAEC) came into existence in 1952 to conduct public examinations and award certificates of comparable international standard (Aderson, 2008). Examination as defined by Okoye (2001) is an organized assessment technique which presents individuals with a series of questions or tasks geared towards ascertaining the individual acquired skills and knowledge. This is the type referred to in this study especially as it concerned secondary school students. In other wards examination according to this study include continuous assessment test (CA) and end of terms evaluation which include final school evaluation for junior secondary school (JSS) and senior secondary school (SSS) systems.

Examination malpractice as defined by West African Examination Council WAEC (2003) as any irregular behaviour exhibited by a candidate or anybody charged with the responsibility of conducting examination in or outside examination halls, before, during or after such examination. This study agrees with this definition and adopts it as the operational definition of examination malpractices in this study. The study therefore intends to assess government measures for controlling irregular behaviours of all sorts in the examination hall. Many of these irregular behaviours or misconducts are observed in the conduct of examinations in Ebonyi State and have reached an alarming rate within the last decade. Examination malpractice is considered as an act of wrongdoing or neglect that is capable of contravening the rules, standards, norms and can distort the accuracy of assessment.

Although examinations are not the only parameters for assessing and evaluating knowledge, it has emerged as the major established yardstick and the most practical way of academic evaluation in Nigeria and has been the yardstick for measuring academic achievement and certification in Nigeria. The over dependence on certificates and success in examinations as the key criterion for qualification for employment and further education has led to a crazy rush to acquire certificates by most people either legitimately or illegitimately, especially through different types of examination malpractices including forging of certificates.

In recent times, examination malpractice have assumed an alarming trend in Nigeria, probably due to candidate‟s fear of failure, lack of confidence, laziness, and inadequate preparations and most often, their inability to study effectively. Examination malpractice has become a major challenge to examination and supervisory bodies, especially the government of Ebonyi State, school administrators and parents alike. The hues and cries about examination malpractices at all level of the Nigerian educational system is nothing but a reflection of the society. This is probably why there seems to be usual celebration of mediocrity by the Nigerian society. Okoli (2006), opined that in actual fact, examination malpractice is a variation of corruption in the society. This is to say that examination malpractice is one of the ills of the society planted by corruption. Just as the politicians employ rigging at elections and enjoy enviable political office, students cheat at primary, secondary and tertiary institutions. All sorts of misconducts take place in and outside examination venues by cheats for the purpose of achieving success and obtaining certificates. To make matters worse, it is not only students that are involved, parents, teachers, school authorities and examination officials, all collude with students to perpetrate the misconduct. The worst is that the society celebrates successes without caring how it is obtained or frowning at those that are fraudulent.

The Federal Government of Nigeria recognized the worth of West African Examination Council (WAEC) and directed that award of final secondary leaving certificates should be based on a National Examination conducted by that body. (FRN 2004). This decision of the Federal Government was in the realization of the fact that public examinations, not only provide adequate basis for contemporaries, but also exercised control over the attainment of the curricular across schools. External secondary school examination also aim at assessing student‟s requisite knowledge and acquisition of skills which will enable them contribute effectively to national development. Public examination is essential because, usually judgment is based on educational outcomes, and the performance of candidates. This is because it has wider competition and national coverage.

Examination malpractice has since graduated from the normal peeping at others work, or bringing foreign items, materials or notes as well as text books into examination halls, to a more organized system of buying question papers from the examination bodies or corrupt bank officials entrusted with the safe-keeping of examination question papers. These syndicates have made it very easy for cheats to acquire a senior school certificate without necessarily entering the examination hall as mercenaries are abound to impersonate the candidates and write examination for them. This trend has, sadly, crept into foreign organized examinations like the British and American sponsored examination (City and Guilds, SAT TOEFL, etc.) organized in Nigeria, (Harrison, 2006). These syndicates have also devised mind-boggling means of impersonating and cheating during the examinations. However Nigerian senior secondary certificate examinations (SSCE) are worst hit by this menace. It is common in Ebonyi State, Ikwo local government in particular where many students refuse to take their SSCE in the school they attend; instead they prefer to become external candidates in another school where they pay exorbitant fees in order to perpetuate examination malpractices, thus many schools tag fees charged to candidates for examination malpractice “Co-operation fees”.

The mass scale of examination malpractice and the involvement of people who, ordinarily, should have been relied upon to transmit basic ethical values to the students have serious social, political and economic consequences. This is probably why Nigeria is accused of turning out a good percentage of unemployable graduates whose fake certificates could be traceable to successful examination malpractices. The entire economy can be severely affected as these school graduates would be misfits and mere certificate carriers.

Ever since, examination malpractices have dominated the lives of students, teachers, school administrators and even parents, authorities in tertiary, secondary and primary schools at one time or the other made serious attempts aimed at stamping out examination malpractices and certificates racketeering without success. Tallyho (2006) reported that in early seventies, at the University of Lagos, many students were dismissed because of certificate scandal. The Government of General Yakubu Gowon in 1974 as asserted by Ofoegbu (2002) witnessed massive employment of civil servants with or without genuine certificates. These incidents aggravated the seriousness with which students who gained admission into higher institutions were and are still being screened.

In spite of many efforts made by various governments and educational establishments in Nigeria and security measures adopted by the West African Examination Council which include punishments meted to students who indulge in examination malpractices, there are still wide spread of examinational malpractices which according to Nweke (2003) is found to have become a problem that has come to stay. Nwankwo 2001, observed that in 1999 the Enugu State Government passed a bill which spelt out life jail for any school principals aiding and abating examination malpractices. Prior to this the Federal Military Government of Nigeria on July 24^th, 1984, promulgated Decree 48, making leakages and cheating in examinations an offence with a penalty of a minimum of twenty one years imprisonment. (FMG 1984 Official Gazzete) Even with this Decree and more sanctions indicated, students have continued to cheat in examinations aided and abated by school authorities and examiners. Abdulsalami (2001), gathered that some students from Government Commercial Colleges, Zaria on the 19^th of November 1990, were each jailed for five years by the Kaduna zone of the Special Military Tribunal on Miscellaneous Offences. The above explains the level of efforts to control examination malpractices in the country. Ikeh Onyechere, (2002) Chairman on examination ethics project, Lagos, reported that 81,065 (12%) of the total 376,000 results, are usually cancelled by JAMB annually due to examination leakages and other associated offences.

Mass cheating is another dimension assured by examination malpractices. Nowadays, examination frauds have become more sophisticated with the advent of electronic assisted materials, calculators hand phone (GSM) and others are used in examination halls unnoticed. Small-sized compact discs, mobile phones, though not allowed in examination halls are sneaked in for text and receiving massages in the halls and preparing text scripts cabs stored in the phones.

In Lagos state for example, students took to the streets and jubilated on May, 17^th 2007, immediately after sitting for that years WAEC Examinations. The live geography paper that leaked a few days to the examination, were sold for five thousand Naira, (5000.00) each. Interestingly, hawkers of these impeccable examination papers could be found among the street urchins, popularly known “as area boys”. Such fate befell core subjects like English language, Mathematics and all the science subjects as they were put up for sale under fly-over and bridges at Ikeja, Oshodi and other rendezvous in Lagos metropolis. A student of a popular secondary school who was writing her 2005 school certificate examination recounted her blessings in a prophetess‟ house at Sabon Gari area of Oturukpo, Benue State as reported by Newswatch magazine edition of June 20^th, 2005. She stepped out gingerly and began to count her blessings, “I want to thank God for seeing me through the papers I have taken so far. Do you know I did not read anything but the Lord was just bringing “Expo” to me. Most members of the congregation jubilated except a few moralists who were saddened that such fraud could be celebrated at the hallowed gathering. Noyo (2003) opined that with the introduction of photo-embossed certificates by West African Examination Council, effective from 1999, the case of impersonation at examination halls has drastically reduced. All the perpetrators need to do was to deploy someone often referred to as “Mercenary” to impersonate in the examinations. However, any successful imposter must be academically sound, otherwise, he loses the annual patronages. Examination frauds have been known to exist and have continued to increase in sophistication because of the patronage by various individuals or agents in Ebonyi State. The most pathetic in the exercise is the involvement of teachers and principals of schools who are role models and who are to teach moral values in schools. The involvement of invigilators, security officials, supervisors and examination officials who were employed to guide and conduct examinations like WAEC,

NECO and UME but instead they betray the trust reposed in them due to greed for money and desire for quick wealth. Many schools are not equipped with adequate materials and human resources and the same government still expects the ill-equipped rural schools to perform creditably well in examinations.

Other factors include peer group influence, environment, home or family, inheritance, validity and reliability of the test and others. However, teachers, under this assessment and new order are bound to aid, examination fraud sorely to be promoted. The evil impact of examination malpractices cannot be over emphasized. Creativity and resourcefulness are hampered. It wrecks great havoc on the social, religious, economic and political lives of Ebonyians and Nigeria‟s as a whole. Employees are engaged in jobs they cannot claim to have mastery of since the certificates they claim to possess were not obtained by merit. Examination malpractices have turned the nation into a certificate conscious state, where much regard is paid to certificates rather than skills. Madueme, (2003) complained that the practices of cheating remain unabated in our schools, its results have far reaching effects on individuals, and the nation which amount to wastage of our economy and human resources, frustrations on the part of those favoured individuals who through examination cheatings, have the certificates but find it difficult to handle tasks commensurate to the qualifications they claim. Graduate teachers often give flimsy excuses of not being able to handle the subjects they specialized in. Nigerian certificates are therefore generally looked upon with suspicion.

One may consider the whole system as disturbing since national development is already facing threat of collapse. A nation is said to be developing when human resources are developing both in quality and quantity anchored on hard work and sincerity. Nwali (2000) in his opinion viewed examination malpractices as economic waste, since cancelled papers will involve extra papers, security, time, money and logistics to repeat. Responsible parents and society as a whole feel disappointed when their children trained to be good leaders and professionals come back empty only to become misfits and touts. Ebonyi state Government in 2005 instituted disciplinary measures to curb examination malpractices. The principals of all schools in Ebonyi State were given two years to improve in the delivery of instructions in their schools or face the music. This was as a result of Dan Nwogah‟s Committee‟s report 2004 on Poor Educational Development in Ebonyi State. The committee reported that many students have been found academically weak which were traceable to the faulty foundations in their education. Currently Ebonyians especially stake holders are worried that those principals who were expected to improve instructional delivery in their schools, have turned to be agents of successful cheatings in examinations. Some of these principals were retired while others were queried or sanctioned by the state Education Authority. This implies that Ebonyi State has been enforcing discipline among the school authorities in the state with regard to classroom instruction so as to curb examination malpractices. This study intends to investigate the extent to which these disciplinary measures helped in controlling examination malpractices in the state.

The free and compulsory education that commenced in 1999 increased school population at un-imaginable rate. Ijaiya (2004) complained of large population of many schools. The state Government therefore, ordered various educational departments to provide enough classrooms and examination halls to ensure proper spacing between students during examinations. It enforced a teacher student ratio of 1:50. Other measures included government polices to moderate admissions to private schools, sanctions for examination cheats, such as blacklisting schools and the principals, suspension, expulsions, withdrawal of certificates, cancellation of results of the schools among others. Also some motivational measures include improved conditions of services of the teachers, reduction of unemployment among graduates to reduce the effects of mercenaries and impersonations during examinations. The setting up of special committee to hand over schools to voluntary agencies and organization of seminars, workshops, for teachers and students, on the implications of examination malpractice. This study is therefore interested to investigate the extent to which these supervisory measures have worked in the state secondary schools.

Statement of the Problem

Examination malpractices have been a serious menace to the Nigerian educational system and to Ebonyi state in particular. Many people still argue and emphasize that the escalating causes of examination malpractices in Ebonyi State is as a result of undue emphasis on paper qualifications. Apparently examination malpractices, seem to become the most available instrument to secure jobs and admissions to catch up with other educationally advantaged states. This is one of the challenges faced by the state government which currently tried to take the bull by the horn by instituting various measures to control examination malpractices in the state secondary schools.

The government observed that reading cultures had declined very much in Ebonyi state secondary schools. It was also noted that syllabuses in many subjects such as physics, chemistry, and biology were usually not covered before external examination in the state. Students seem not worried because corrupt invigilators and supervisors were willing to help at the least price. The parents who eventually raised examination registration fees either by borrowing with high interest or saved thriftily for years were prepared to deploy any means to assist their wards to pass these examinations to avoid paying for another registration. From the above it could be concluded that the state government had put in a lot of material resources in their fight against examination malpractice. The problem of this study put in a question form is: to what extent is the success of the assessment of the implementation of government measures for controlling examination malpractice in Ebonyi State?

Purpose of the Study

The main purpose of this study is to investigate the extent to which measures put in place by the state government in controlling examination malpractices in secondary schools have succeeded. Specifically the study will identify the extent to which:

1. Disciplinary measures have succeeded in controlling examination malpractices in the state secondary schools.
2. Motivational measures of government have controlled examinational malpractices in the state secondary schools.
3. Supervisory measures by the government have controlled examination malpractices in the state.
4. Religious measures by government have controlled examination malpractices in secondary schools in Ebonyi State.

The main propose of this study is to investigate the extent to which the measures put in place by Eboyi state government have succeeded in controlling examination malpractices in the state secondary schools.

Significance of the Study

The findings from this study will be of immense benefits to the following: Federal and State Ministries of Education, examining bodies WAEC, NECO, JAMB, Parents and the society.

By this research, parents, governments and the entire society would be aware that collapsed buildings, distressed banks, folded companies, and others which are probably the manifestation of examination malpractices which have defied various measures especially in Ebonyi state.

This study on assessing the Examination Control Measures in Ebonyi State will help various organizations like Anticorruption crusaders, Examination Ethics council, religious organizations and others to understand the issues, scopes, strengths, weaknesses of examination control mechanism in the state and probably diversify their control techniques.

The findings of the study will help the government of Ebonyi State and the secondary school authorities to find out the result of their efforts so far, so as to re-strategize and give a final blow to the hydra headed monster examination malpractices in the secondary schools in the state.

Scope of the Study

The geographical scope of this work covers all the state secondary schools in four education zones in Ebonyi state. It does not include private secondary schools federal and state or unity schools in the state. However it covers all forms of secondary schools including technical school and vocational schools owned by the state government. The content scope includes environmental, motivational, supervisory, disciplinary, religious and administrative measures for controlling examination malpractices in public secondary schools in Ebonyi State.

Research Questions

The following research questions are posed to guide the study:-

1. To what extent have disciplinary measures controlled examination malpractices?
2. To what extent has motivational measures succeeded in controlling examination malpractices?
3. To what extent do supervisory measures control examination malpractices in the state?
4. To what  extent  do  religious  measures  control  examination malpractices?

Hypotheses

The following null hypotheses were formulated to guide the study. Each was tested at 0.05 level of significant.

Ho₁: There is no significant difference in the mean ratings of principals and teachers with regard to the extent to which disciplinary measures control examination malpractices.

Ho₂: There is no significant difference in the mean ratings of principals and teachers with regard to the extent to which motivational measures control examination malpractices.

Ho₃: There is no significant difference in the mean ratings of principals and teachers with regard to the extent to which supervisory measures control examination malpractices in Ebonyi State secondary schools.

Ho₄: there is no significant differences in the mean ratings of principals and teachers with regard to the extent to which religious measures control examination malpractices.

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