Malpractice
By Reporters
A cross-section of education stakeholders in Northwest have cautioned parents and guardians against patronising special examination centres, popularly called “Miracle Centres” for their children’s examination.
The stakeholders made their position known while reacting to a survey conducted by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Sokoto, Kebbi, and Zamfara States.
NAN reports that special centres, tagged “miracle centres”, are examination centres where candidates are allegedly assisted to obtain excellent examination results through dishonest means.
The examinations widely patronised at these centres include West African Examinations Council (WAEC), National Examinations Council (NECO), National Business and Technical Examinations Board (NABTEB) and other Senior Secondary Examinations.
The President of the All Nigeria Confederation of Principals of Secondary Schools (ANCOPSS), Sokoto State Chapter, Alhaji Muhammad Ikililu, described the trend of examination malpractice as detrimental to students’ educational development.
He observed that patronising such places erode students’ confidence and intellectual capacity.
Ikililu urged policymakers to strongly condemn such actions and sanction all institutions involved in malpractice, while stressing the need for concerned authorities to identify students with such academic qualifications and bring th m to book.
According to him, these centres likely run a cartel within examination bodies that leaks question papers and circulates answers to candidates during examinations.
He lamented that the practice was becoming more pronounced because some students were unwilling to study, while some parents were more interested in securing admission for their children by all means.
A teacher, Malam Aminu Bello, underscored the importance of adopting the Computer-Based Test (CBT) model of examination, which he said would help reduce malpractice.
Bello alleged that greed and family pressure might be catalysts that push for increased collusion among educational personnel, along with the interests of parents and institution proprietors who, in pursuit of academic excellence at all costs, had fuelled the proliferation of such centres.
He decried weak supervision by regulatory agencies, collusion, impersonation, question leakage, and poor enforcement of sanctions by authorities as factors facilitating such bad practices.
He lamented that the growing patronage of such centres would undermine the credibility of public examinations and weaken academic standards.
Prof. Ahmad Ala, the Sokoto State Commissioner for Basic and Secondary Education, said the state government was determined to checkmate all forms of examination malpractice.
He, however, said government was unaware of specific places identified as miracle centres across the state.
Ala assured that the quality assurance and inspection departments would be mobilised to ensure strict surveillance mechanisms for eliminating such malpractice centres.
He added that examination processes would be strengthened to monitor candidates and schools through proper documentation of students’ academic records in both private and public institutions.
In Kebbi, Malam Yusuf Sani, a teacher at Dr Amina Girls Secondary School in Birnin Kebbi, said that excessive pressure to obtain high grades, poor supervision, parental influence, and the misuse of technology were among the factors contributing to the problem.
Sani said: “Such special examination centres, tagged “miracle centres”, are places where candidates are allegedly assisted to obtain excellent examination results without sweat.”
He added that the increasing reliance on examination results had made some students more desperate to pass examinations by all means.
“Some students are more concerned about obtaining certificates than acquiring knowledge.
“This has created a situation where some of them resort to cheating whenever they feel they may not perform well in an examination,” he said.
Sani urged parents to desist from mounting unnecessary pressure on their children to achieve excellent grades by all means, saying such pressure could encourage them to engage in examination malpractice.
Similarly, Malama Sa’adatu Danko, a teacher at Abdullahi Fodio Secondary School, Birnin Kebbi, said inadequate preparation was one of the major factors responsible for examination malpractice among students.
She said some candidates only started preparing for examinations when the examination date was approaching.
“Students need to understand that there is no shortcut to success. They must attend classes, study regularly, and seek assistance from their teachers whenever they encounter difficulties,” she advised.
Danko also called on school authorities to strengthen examination supervision and ensure that invigilators strictly adhere to laid-down examination rules.
Alhaji Umar Faruk, a journalist, said the increasing availability of smartphones and internet-enabled devices had created additional challenges for examination administrators.
Faruk, however, said technology could also be deployed to strengthen examination security through improved monitoring and verification systems.
He urged examination bodies and schools to adopt appropriate measures to prevent candidates from using electronic devices to gain unfair advantage during examinations.
Malam Haruna Gwadangwaji, a parent in Birnin Kebbi, said parents also had a responsibility to discourage their children from cheating.
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According to him, parents should teach their children that academic success obtained through dishonesty could have serious consequences in the future.
A Senior Education Officer and Examination Officer of a public school in Gusau, Zamfara, Malam Suleiman Haiba, called on parents, guardians, and community members to discourage the emphasis on passing examinations at all costs.
Haiba said education remained a ladder and pillar of human progress in every society, arguing that educational steps from primary to secondary and higher institutions needed to be adhered to in order to obtain requisite learning.
He explained that examinations should not be the sole benchmark for grading students, as other factors also matter.
He expressed concern at the growing patronage of such miracle centres, which undermine the credibility of public examinations and weaken academic standards.
“Examination malpractice does not only undermine the integrity of examinations but also produces graduates who may lack the requisite knowledge and skills in spite of possessing academic certificates,” Haiba said.
Other stakeholders called for concerted efforts by government, schools, parents, and students to curb the menace, describing the trend as a major threat to the quality and credibility of education in the country. (NAN)(
