TEACHERS’ AND STUDENTS’ PERCEPTION OF MEASURES FOR ERADICATING EXAMINATION MALPRACTICE AMONG SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS IN NSUKKA LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA OF ENUGU STATE
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
Background of the Study
Education in the general sense covers the whole life of an individual from birth to death or from cradle to grave showing that education is as old as man on earth.
Education is the foundation upon which physical and technological development rest. In Nigeria education has been adopted as instrument for national development. Therefore, governments, communities, private organizations and individuals have established educational institutions with a view of training the citizens for the development of the national, physical and human resources. One of the objectives of education in Nigeria is to prepare the young ones to face future challenges and develop them to meet the nation’s manpower requirements. In educational institution, teaching and guidance activities are supposed to take place so that appropriate skills and knowledge can be acquired by the students.
Furthermore, a machinery through which the extent of knowledge and skills acquisition is determined at each stage of education has been set up. This is inform of examination which is questions or practical exercises. Balogun (1999) defines examination as the process through which students are evaluated or tested to find out the quality knowledge they have acquired within a specific period.
Education then serves as a pathway to the light of understanding which opens up on array of possibilities, for human to explore in a communicative effort, in order to procure means of survival, luxury, as well as natural identify and integrity. For any nation to develop on the social, economic moral, political and physical platforms, us citizens must be mentally developed as well. Examinations are conducted for public interest after which grades and certificates of comparable international standards are awarded to ascertain how much a subject matter in a particular field of study the candidate has mastered.
Hornby (2006) defines an examination as a formal test of somebody’s knowledge or ability in a particular subject, especially by means of answering questions or practical exercises. Balogun (1999) also defines examination as the process through which students are evaluated or tested to find out the quality of knowledge they have acquired within a specific period. Jimoh (2009) further holds that examinations could also oral, written or both. Examples of internal examinations are continuous assessment tests, terminal or semester examinations common in Nigerian school are common Entrance Examination for admission into secondary school, senior School Certificate Examinations (SSCE), Unified Tertiary and Matriculation Examination (UTME).
Worthy of note is the fact that public examination not only provide adequate basis for contemporaries but also exert control over the attainment of the curricular across schools. In Nigeria, classroom, teachers, school principals, examination bodies, parents, ministries and even learners base their judgments concerning the quality of educational outcomes most of the time on performance at public examinations. Public examinations therefore, seem to be the greatest parameter by which society judge the products of its educational system. Unfortunately, this public examination has been ridden with corrupt practices which is blown or manifested in the form of examination malpractice.
Salami (2004) defined examination malpractice as an improper and dishonest act associated with examination with a view of obtaining unmerited advantage.
Oluyeba and Baramola (2004) defined examination malpractice as any anybody charged with the conduct of examination in or outside the examination, before, during or after such examination. Nwogo (2003) defined examination malpractice as a departure other by staff or student from the laid down examination regulations. Okwo (2006) saw examination malpractice as a deviation from the modalities for the conduct of the examination such that results obtained are not fair assessment of the abilities, capabilities, knowledge and skills of the individuals concerned.
Shonekan (1996) defines examination malpractice as any act of omission or commissions that contravenes the rules and regulations of the examination body to the extent of undermining the validity and reliability of the tests and ultimately the integrity of the certificates issued. Nwabuisi (2008) states that examination malpractice has become the rule rather than exception in Nigeria that examination malpractices are practiced at all levels of the education industry with teachers, principals / head teachers and other officials including examination body officers officiating as their ministers.
Writing on the widening dimension of examination malpractice, Adeyeabe (2004) observed that the first recorded incident of examination malpractice in Nigeria was the leakage of the Cambridge School Certificate Examination in 7914. The situation remained relatively unchanged until 1963 when there was leakage of two examination papers and the Nigerian government imposed sanctions on the examinations. In 1970’s and 80’s, cheating in examination became more pervasive and assumed more serious dimensions.
As Nwabuisi similarly observed, various malpractices in public examinations in Nigeria have their sources from either custodians of examination papers, printers of the question papers, examination bodies involved in the examination. Some other students arrange to be impersonated during examinations. Ugly enough, some principals engage in illegal collection of money from candidates for buying over the conscience of any supervisor posted to the school. They organize themselves such that as soon as an external inspector is sighted, the supervisor, invigilators and candidates in the hall are alerted. Some other supervisors arrange for “Comfort Fund” wherever they are posted such that as soon as the fund is provided, the candidates are virtually left on their own.
Furthermore, it is disheartening that despite the efforts made by the government to curb this brazenly committed act, the dimensions and forms of malpractices have continued to defy solution. The imposition of stringent sanctions by government and various examination bodies has made little or no impact. The promulgation of Decree no. 20 of 1984 directed at curbing examination malpractice has made little or no impact on the frequency and magnitude of occurrence of this phenomenon. The active Decree which stipulated 21 years of imprisonment, for culprits of examination malpractice has so far appeared to be to ineffective in curbing examination malpractice. The implementation of the decree is often alleged to be frustrated. Others regard the decree rather like quicksand where sanctions sink slowly out of sight leaving everything just as it had been.
Cheating in examination has become in examination has become more systematized and organized and well organized. Supervised invigilators, law enforcement agents, subject teachers, principals, undergraduates or even graduates or even graduates as well as parents have in one way or the other either overtly or covertly implicated. This ugly phenomenon has made examination malpractice to constitute a serious threat to the educational and socio-economic development of the nation. Worse still, as days continue to unfold, it becomes more pervasive and sophiscated. Every examination session encounters a new and ingenious method of cheating. The examination process has become endangered to the extent that certification has almost lost its credibility in the country (Jimoh, 2009) certificates no longer appear to reflect skill.
In secondary schools within Nsukka Local Government Area, the story is not different on several occasions, many examination results are delayed and others with held completely all because of one form of examination malpractice or the other. It is I against this background that this study seeks to find out teachers and students perception of the measures for eradicating examination malpractice among secondary school students in Nsukka Local Government of Enugu State.
Statement of the Problem
Examination is a machinery through which the extent of knowledge and skill acquisition is determined at each stage of education. It is organized in order to evaluate, assess and test knowledge and skills. It is a yardstick for assessment and of course the most practical way of assessment in education. In Nsukka Local Government Area, there has been an alarming rate of increase in incidents of examination malpractice among secondary school students in the recent past. There are evidences of growing involvement of teachers, school heads, parents, students, examination officials and even security agents in examination malpractice. This of no doubt is a problem and should given concern to any enlightened and patriotic citizen. Hence, it has become necessary that a study of this kind is carried out to find out teachers’ and students’ perception of the measures for eradicating examination malpractice among Secondary School Students in Nsukka Local Government Area.
Purpose of the Study
The major purpose of this study is to find out teachers and students’ perception of the measures for eradicating examination malpractice among secondary school students in Nsukka Local Government Area. Specifically, the study is designed to find out:
(1) The causes of examination malpractice among secondary school students.
(2) The form of examination malpractice among Secondary School Students.
(3) The strategies adopted by the students to commit examination malpractice.
(4) Teachers and students perception of measures for eradicating examination malpractice.
Research Questions
The following research questions guided the study
(1) What are the causes of examination malpractice among Secondary School Students?
(2) What are the forms of examination malpractice among Secondary School Students?
(3) What are the strategies adopted by the students to commit examination malpractice?
(4) What are the teachers and students perception of measures fofor eradicating examination malpractice among Secondary School Students?
Significance of the Study
It is hoped that the result of this study will be beneficial to the following: Students, parents, school heads, teachers, examination officials, security personnel, government and the entire society.
The findings of the study will spur students to become hard working. Students who are hard working are less likely to engage in examination malpractice than the lazy ones.
The findings will discourage parents from assisting their wards engaging in examination malpractice by educating them (parents) on the negative effects of examination malpractice on students in particular and the society in general. Many students cannot engage in examination malpractice without their parental support and assistance.
The findings of the study will discourage school heads from using their schools as special centres for examinations. In special centres, mass cheating that is large scale organized cheating involving school authorities, candidates and examination officials are carried out.
The findings of the study will help teachers become more committed in the discharge of their duties. Teachers who are committed to their duties are less likely to engage in examination malpractice than those who are not committed.
The findings of the study will help examination officials, teachers, invigilators, security personnel and all those involved in the conduct of examination to realize the futility of succumbing to bribery. It will also help the security personnel to arrest and promptly report offenders to the appropriate security agents for prosecution.
The findings of the study will help the government to give the examination officials adequate remuneration for their. It will also help the government to adequately reinforce anti examination malpractice laws.
The findings of this study will help reduce corruption nt he society.
Scope of the Study
The study was carried out in Nsukka Local Government Area to find out teachers and students perception of the measures for eradicating examination malpractice among secondary school students. The study also focus on the causes of examination malpractice, forms of examination malpractice, strategies adopted by the student to commit examination malpractice and teachers and students perception of measures for eradicating examination malpractice.
CHAPTER TWO
REVIEW OF LITERATURE
This chapter is done under the following sub-headings: conceptual framework and summary of literature review.
Conceptual Framework:
Concept of examination
Concept and nature of examination malpractice in Nigeria
History of examination malpractice
Causes and conductions that sustain examination malpractice in Nigeria
Consequences of examination malpractice
Teachers and students perception of measure for eradicating examination malpractice
Summary of Literature Review
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