Reports on Examination Malpractice in Nigeria

The following have been documented about examination malpractices in Nigeria.

1. Analysis of  the result of the University Matriculation Examination (UME), conducted by the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB) for 2007 reveals the following:

Number of candidates involved in examination malpractice was fifteen thousand seven hundred and sixty three (15,763) candidates. Forms of malpractices included: coping or spying from prepared answers/swapping of examination documents, violent/unruly behavior to examiners, lateness to examination hall without valid reasons, smuggling out of question papers/answer sheets from examination hall, collusion with other candidates/examiners/external agents, widespread/mass cheating, and impersonation.

Same analysis for 2009 shows cases of examination malpractices to be twenty three thousand eight hundred and nineteen (23,819), which was reported to be lesser than the cases of 2008.

2. Reports from Examination Ethics Project (EEP) indicate that public examination bodies in the country have cancelled a total of about two million one hundred and forty three thousand eight hundred and sixty (2,143,860) results due to examination malpractices and spent not less than fifty million Naira on funding the re-sitting of these examinations. (Thisday 27^th May 2008). The yearly reports from this group also showed that the rate of examination malpractices across Nigeria increased by 4.3 percent in 2006.
3. A proprietor of a private school in Ibadan, Oyo State, allegedly duped about three hundred and sixty students to the tune of nine million naira because of examination malpractices. (Punch 9^th May, 2008).
4. Twenty three secondary schools in Enugu State were reported to have been black listed in 2006 by the West African Examination Council for their involvement in examination malpractices.
5. Kwara State government was said to have dismissed ten school principals from her service due to their involvement in examination malpractices during the 2003 Senior School Certificate Examination.
6. “Thisday investigation revealed that certain schools in Kaduna have become ‘centres of excellence’, where one can register for WAEC or NECO SSCE and determine the number of credits one wants, with full assurance….. That is the reason many students refuse to take the SSCE in their schools, but go to register as external candidates in other schools…paying exorbitant fees...” (Thisday 27^th May, 2008).
7. Have you not seen or heard of students having distinctions in English Language, who can hardly speak one correct sentence in English?

It is almost needless to mention that examination malpractice is the forerunner of corruption. The facts and figures are there to testify. “In a press conference held in Abuja, chairman of Examination Ethics International (ETI), Mr Ike Onyechere, insisted that the high corruption index Nigeria finds itself is a product of high examination malpractices. He noted that examination malpractice is a multi-billion naira business as the widespread cheating is being utilized by invigilators and mercenaries to milk out money out of candidates and parents who readily obliged… A total of #71 billion is lost yearly to examination fraud (Leadership, 20-05-2010, page 24).”

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Meaning of Examination Malpractice

Causes of Examination Malpractice

Menace of Examination  Malpractice

Curbing the Menace of Examination Malpractice

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