CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
Background to the Study
Education is a fundamental human right which functions to develop the talents of individuals to the fullest. The United Nations International Cultural and Educational Fund, UNICEF (2010) noted that when children of any nation have access to quality education, such a nation could claim to create a ripple effect of opportunity that may impact many generations to come. Formal education is organized into pre-primary, primary, secondary and tertiary education components.
The Federal Republic of Nigeria (FRN,1998:16) in her National Policy on Education defined secondary education as the form of education children receive after primary education and before the tertiary stage. Ogbonnaya (2009) put it as the form of education children receive after they have received primary school education.
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Education at all levels and examinations are inseparable, and the importance of examination cannot be over emphasized. Examination according to Webster’s Dictionary (2008) refers to an exercise designed to examine progress or test qualification or knowledge. It has remained a potent instrument for judgment of
knowledge acquired (Joshua, 2011). It can be deduced that for education to be seen to have taken place, the students who are the recipients of such education are expected to have attained a certain standard through evaluation process. According to Omolabi (2004), examination has been the basic characteristic of the school system all over the world. He emphasized that it can be regarded as a requirement upon which the most important decisions about the progress of the teachers, school administrators and all stakeholders in the educational system are based.
Educational administration is the process by which an administrator directs and controls scarce human and material resources in the school system in order to achieve the desired goals and objectives (Ezeocha, 1990). Educational administration is also seen as a service, activity or tool through which the fundamental objectives of the education process may be more fully or efficiently realized (Ogbonnaya, 2009). Secondary school administration is faced with several challenges. Adeyemi (2008) identified the existence of inadequate facilities, low staff morale and poor supervision of schools as some of the problems in the secondary school administration in Nigeria. Uwakwe (2012) revealed five more administrative problems which secondary school administration encounters. These include; parental problems, staff problems, district problems, inadequate funding and unstable government policies. Comparing the various administrative problems which secondary school administration encounters, Nwana in Ezeocha (1990) observed that cheating at public examinations is much more prevalent than it is officially reported and accounts for why principals consider it much a threat to school administrators.
In defining examination malpractice, attempts have been made by experts to define it from various perspectives. Ike (1996) defined examination malpractice as any action done or committed which makes it impossible to use an examination in determining the level of competence of a candidate in absorbing, reproducing, and where appropriate, apply the knowledge. This means that any act of wrong doing or neglect that contravenes the role of acceptable practice is tantamount to examination malpractice. Others see examination malpractice as a corrupt practice. This is supported by Olayinka (1993) who defined examination malpractice as a misconduct or improper practice in any examination with a view to obtaining good results through fraudulent action.
According to Oluyeba and Daramola (1992); examination malpractice is an irregular behaviour exhibited by candidates or anybody charged with the conduct of examination in or outside the examination hall before, during or after such examinations. Ahmed (1993) believed that an examination malpractice is any act of wrong doing or neglect that contravenes the rules of acceptable practices before, during and after an examination by any body in any way. In another light, examination malpractice is seen as the outworking of greed from within an examinee and as influenced from without by corrupt practices and agents with a view to succeeding through crooked means before, during or after examination.
The examination malpractice in West Africa School Certificate Examination (WASCE) christened “Expo” was born into Nigeria in 1970 during W.A.S.C examination (Ezeocha, 1990: 147). According to him, three major types of unethical behaviours usually engaged in by the candidates have been identified. They include illegal use of examination papers, leakage of examination papers, and impersonation at examination. The manifestation and incidences of examination malpractices in Nigeria are obvious.
On the national setting, studies have been conducted on examination malpractices in secondary schools in Nigeria. The problem of examination malpractices in Nigeria seems to be as old as the introduction of formal system of education (Afigbo, 1993). The first major incidents of examination malpractices occurred when the Senior Cambridge local examinations of 1977, 1981 and 1987 leaked (Olujuwon, 1999). The effects of examination malpractices are enormous as seen below.
The head of the Nigerian National Office of WAEC recently announced the release of the May/June 2012 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) result. According to the officer, results of a total of 122,000 candidates, representing 6.70 percent were being withheld in connection with cases of examination malpractices which were being investigated (The Business Day 10th August, 2012). Asuru (2004) had earlier reported that Adamawa State occupied the 23rd position among all the 36 states in Nigeria in examination malpractice, as determined by the Examination Malpractice Index (EMI), and ranked 29th in WAEC May/June rating of states for the decade (1993 – 2002) in examination malpractice.
The repercussions of examination malpractice thriving in the public secondary schools are enormous not only on the students but also on the larger society. It’s obvious that the hope of transforming the nation politically, socially and economically will be threatened when individuals chose to succeed through examination malpractice. Agbu (2009) asserted that the alarming and seemingly endless series of scandalous homes, businesses, society and even religion may not be unconnected with the fact that the first generation of fraudsters who must have perpetrated examination malpractice have come of age and are now in leadership positions. Examination malpractices have consistently remained a venom of Nigerian educational system.
Another adverse effect of examination malpractice is the fate of one who decides to succeed through examination malpractice. It can be said that success achieved through examination malpractice is best described as bad success. This is because according to Agbu (2009), success built on sound moral foundation can endure but success built on fraud are bound to collapse sooner or later. The evil effects of examination malpractice are endless. Creativity and resourcefulness are hampered (Hadiza, 2008). In another light, Ezeocha (1990) went on to add that majority of the certificates obtained by candidates these days to say the least are not merited by their holders. This is bound to produce incompetent graduates who will offer substandard services consequently affecting the lives of the masses.
Literature reveals some attempts to stem the occurrence and consequences of examination malpractice, particularly in Adamawa State; for instance, Abdullahi (2009) observed that in dealing with examination malpractice matters, the fault may not be that of the students alone, but other sources, including educational institutions. Within this context, some institutional attempts have been made to check examination malpractice. For example, Government Day Secondary School in Vunoklang, Girei L.G.A and Government Day Secondary School Damare in Yola South L.G.A both in Adamawa State were banned as centres for public examination because the Federal Ministry of Education (2007) Examination malpractice Blacklist Report indicted them on examination malpractice.
Recently, in Adamawa State also, two teachers were dismissed for altering examination results. The school administrator disclosed that the sacked teachers were involved in examination malpractices, a punishable offence (Yinka Heritage 31st August, 2012). In another effort to forestall future occurrence of examination malpractice; the federal government promulgated Decree No. 20 of 1984 and later, Decree No. 33 of 1999 which is being enforced by the Adamawa State government.
Further measures which have been taken in recent times by the Adamawa State government to eradicate examination malpractice is through the implementation of the National Economic Empowerment Development Strategies (NEEDS) policy document which targets 40% reduction in examination malpractice annually (Udoh, 2011).
