AN INVESTIGATION INTO THE CRIME AND CAUSES OF EXAMINATION MALPRACTICE IN NIGERIA

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY                                                         

          Examination is a criterion set nation-wide in schools at both higher and lower levels for assessing the student’s intellectual ability. It is used for grading, promoting and awarding of certificates of merits. This exercise has been in existence over since colonial government in Nigeria as well as countries so long as Western education is concern.

          According to Ogbemudia (2005), the history of formal examination involving written answers and a series of prepared question dates back to 2nd century B.C in Isaa when the results introduced written examination into their schools.

          Obijiaku (1998) defines examination as a means of assessing the ability of the individual in any life pursuit, be  it academic or any other facet of human endeavour, ability , competence as well as performance.

          The above implies that it is through examination that an individual’s knowledge is determined either on a past course of study, learnt or the probability of an individual benefiting from a future training programme.

          According to Achuniyi (1997) examination is a process of evaluating the pupils behavioural changes based on several learning experiences, systematically presented to a group of pupils over a specific period of time or a given course of study. But the aim of examination has been defeated due to certain factors beyond the students control. Majority are not always ready and prepared for the examination but  for them to overcome the shame of copying from lecturers work, carrying of textbooks into an examination hall , a good number of students are impersonators, while others smuggle their scripts out of the examination hall. These contributes to leakage of papers of both internal and external examinations. These and many other means constitute what is known as “Examination Malpractice”

          Examination Malpractice according to Ogbemudia (2001) is an illegal action by which a person seeks to benefit himself at the cost of others while in a position of trust.

          Here in Nigeria, according to Ede (1987) the first recorded incident of Examination Malpractice was in the leakage of school certificate examination in 1914, by 1970 the educational system experienced Examination Malpractice in a large scale, and today, this problem of Examination Malpractice has affected our standard of education in the sense that students can meet up to pass, get promoted and obtain certificates in many ways which they might not be able to defend in practice. For this reason, a call is made on how to limit the rate or even eradicate entirely Examination Malpractices in Nigerian schools so as to produce graduates whoa re capable to put into practice what they studies.

          Examination Malpractice or “EXPO” has no doubt eaten deep into the fabricks of the society as it seems to be the appropriate practice for any examination here in Nigeria. But the truth about this problem remains that almost every members of Nigerian society is  one way or the other contributing to the rapid growth of this maladjusted behaviour.

          As people continue to cry-out daily about the falling standard of education but our youths puts a deaf ear to it, they have vowed never to read but to incline unto “EXPO”, the beginning and end of their certificates and when caught they lay the blames on the school, government and society at large. So, something has to be done to rip this evil in the bud now, and the only wayout is to   findout those factors that are within the school that predisposed them to this, in this our present day academic situation.

STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM       

          It has been observed that there is high rate of Examination Malpractice in tertiary institutions in Nigeria. As the world in which we live today is experiencing levels of change and development, so should Nigeria. There should be reforms in our educational system with the sole aim of upholding the standard of education. One of the major problems of this sector is to find out the major causes of Examination Malpractice which has given rise to poor quality of certificates. This research will therefore try to investigate the main causes of this problems with a view to eliminating this cankerworm.                                                     

PURPOSE OF THE STUDY                                                                           

          The main purpose of this project is to investigate on the causes of Examination Malpractices.

1.      Determine whether Examination Malpractice exists among students in Alvan Ikoku Federal College of Education Owerri.

2.      To identify if fear of failure is responsible for Examination Malpractice.

3.      To determine whether the school management and staff are inclusive in Examination Malpractices.

4.       To make useful suggestions on how to reduce the factors causing Examination Malpractices.

RESEARCH QUESTIONS

The following research questions were formulated to guide the study.

1.     Is fear of failure responsible for Examination Malpractice?

2.     Are the staff of the college involved in Examination Malpractice?

3.     Can the society be held accountable for Examination Malpractice?

4.     Can the menace of Examination Malpractice be either eliminated or minimized?       

SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

          This research work is of practical significance to both the students, lecturers, management, parents, government as well as the society at large. It will create a new awareness on the emerging pattern trends in the nature of Examination Malpractice in higher institutions. It will go further to highlight some implications of the emerging patterns of Examination Malpractice in Universities and colleges of education, as in what the government, lecturers, students and even the school authorities should do in order to eradicate Examination Malpractice and how to achieve qualitative education in Nigeria. Not only that, it will also put forward some suggestions, that the suggestions will affect the management board, heads of departments, guardian counsellors, individuals, lecturers, parents and the general public in various ways towards Examination Malpractices among students in tertiary institutions on the following ways:

          It will lead to a review and reappraisal of the disciplinary and control measures in institutions in line with the emerging trends and patterns of Examination Malpractices.     

          It will provide recommendations on the means of minimizing or total eradication of Examination Malpractices which has become so rampant among our students and will make them to work harder and be independent during examination periods.

SCOPE OF THE STUDY

This issue of Examination Malpractice is a national problem. Every state and town in Nigeria without exception has a fair share of the blame in their tertiary institutions. However, due to limited time and resources, the researchers have limited this study to Alvan Ikoku Federal College of Education in Owerri Municipal of ImoState.