LEARNING
Edited by
A.O.U.ONUKA
UNIVERSITY OF IBADAN LIBRARY
17
EXAMINATION MALPRACTICE IN NIGERIA: THE
ROLE OF INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATldN
TECHNOLOGY
Adams Onuka
Introduction
According to Onuka and Arnusan (2008), examination malpractices attained
such an unpleasant height, that it became a source of great concern to the Nigerian
society to the extent that at the twilight of the Abdulsalami Abubakar Administration in
1999, it enacted a decree on examination malpractices now known as the Examination
Malpractices Act 33 of 1999 to deal with this unyielding and very disgraceful societal
menace. To Onuka and Durowoju (2010), examination malpractice has become a
'norm' at all levels of education in Nigeria, to the extent that many stakeholders in the
education industry, especially students and their parents as well as teachers believe that
the only means of achieving success in an examination is through examination
malpractice. Although examination malpractice is seen, by some people, as an act of
deliberate dishonesty or an unethical act contravening examination rules and
regulations, yet increasing number of people appear to be buying into this unholy act. It
has become a booming business that it could be inferred that there are examination fraud
cabals who make brisk business by engaging in this unholy act.
Onuka (2009) argues that in an attempt to curb examination malpractices in Nigeria Act
33 of 1999 outlines the following among the offences that constitute examination
malpractices:
Cheating during examinations;
Stealing of question papers;
Impersonation;
Conspiracy to cheat;
Breach of duties during examinations;
Aiding and abetting during examinations etc.
He noted that examination malpractices are multi-dimensional, which can occur at any
stage of pub lie examining process spanning from planning, test designing/construction,
administration, scoring/marking, grading and dissemination of results. As stated by
Ojerinde (2011), Nigeria is well-known and adjudged with the slogan "A country where
anything goes". The implication therefore is that examination malpractice is not
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188 Adams Onuka
exempted because those involved at every stage of the examining system are Nigerians
who believe that only the end justifies the means, rather the means justifying the end,
since the means should normally come before the end. This sequence, calls for measures
to be evolved to curtail examination malpractices at all stages of the public examining
process. Onuka (2009) thus suggested that measures aimed at curtailing examination
fraud must take cognizance of the multifarious nature of the examination menace. This
observation is in consonance with the views earlier held by scholars such as Ojerinde
(2005), Onuka and Amusan (2008) that examination malpractices take various forms
and in spite of varying forms of measures to assure the security ofthe public and indeed
all fOnTISof examining processes in Nigeria, test security had continued to be elusive.
Consequently Onuka (2009) proposes three variants of test security measures:
.:. Proactive test security measures, which implies that the system takes cognizance
of the fact that threat to the examination begins with the planning as this stage is
undertaken by more than one persons at a time and as such, it is impossible to
vouch for the integrity of the system, as a person who lacks integrity is not known
by mere looking at his face. Especially in view of the fact that those engaged for
the planning and construction of test items may not have been thoroughly taken
through the integrity test, as such exercise is costly and cumbersome. There
should be pre-examination proper examination fraud preventive measures to nip
any attempt to perpetuate fraud at that stage in the bud .
•:. Concurrent/developmental test security measures: these are examination security
measures put in place during the planning of the administration of the
examination papers to ensure the sanctity and integrity of this stage of the
examining process. The measures so taken here are meant to curtail all SOliS of
examination malpractices that could occur at this stage, by putting both the
examining officials and the examinees or testees in check, in order to avoid the
perpetration of any form of malpractices .
•:. Retrospective or restorative test security measures: these are post-examination
administration security measures to investigate any reported cases of
malpractices: their causes, effects and proposes further possible preventive and
punitive security measures to respectively check mate future recurrence of
malpractices and sanction detected perpetrators of the reported and proven cases.
Having come to terms with the fact that we may have to live with examination
malpractice like electoral fraud, we must thus put subsisting measures or mechanism in
motion to check the cankerworm called examination fraud or malpractice, in order to
curtail it very substantially, ifnot to totally eradicate it.
Nature of examination malpractice
According to Onuka and Durowoju (20 I0), the under-mentioned constitute what we
may refer to as the nature of examination fraud/malpractice:
.:. Leakage of question papers in the process of setting, printing, packaging, storing
and distribution: there cannot be examination leakage ifsomeone involved in the
preparation like examining body officials [permanent or ad hoc] and sometimes
with the connivance of parents, principals and teachers and in some cases
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Examination Malpractice In Nigeria: The Role of Information and Communication Technology 189
security personnel, are not in the know. Thus, malpractice is often a product of
networking .
•:. Impersonation: this is done by someone who is not a candidate in on-going
examinations or a person that should not be present in the examination hall, who
undertakes to write the paper for the candidate in a mercenary fashion. In fact,
despite the fact that photographs are now embossed on certificates, it seems
people still do this. The examining bodies cannot take blame for this, because
there is no way they can detect such. However, other persons responsible for
recruitment and admissions therefore should scrutinize certificates so
thoroughly so that any mutilation of the embossed photograph can be reported to
the police for proper investigation. This presupposes that all hands must be deck
on to checkmate the activities of examination fraudsters .
•:. Lateness to examination centres by invigilators and supervisors: lateness of the
supervisors and invigilators to the centres can provide opportunity for the
occurrence of leakages of papers which may have begun in other centres. The
examination fraud syndicate members may have laid their hands on an on-going
question paper elsewhere and then do a brisk business with it in those centres
where the supervisors arrive late .
•:. Lateness to examination hall: some of the candidates may deliberately come late
to Examination Centres in order to ensure that they have the opportunity to
possibly preview the questions elsewhere before coming to their own centres
with the previewed knowledge to tackle the paper headlong .
•:. Cheating: this can be by conspiracy [ a group of examinees having agreed to
cheat or a group of examinees and an examining body official whether ad hoc or
staff] or singly done by one party copying from another without the knowledge of
the latter.
.:. Fake certificates: buying/forging fake certificates is in fact an advanced form of
examination fraud as culprits in this category do not bother to take an
examination and would yet want to have the benefit of such examination that
requires many years of hard work at great cost to both parents and their wards. Of
course, it is more criminal than other characteristics of examination fraud .
•:. Corruption seems to be not only unofficially but almost an officially acceptable
way of carrying all sorts of government and private business in Nigeria. Thus,
since those engaged in the conduct of public examinations are humans and
Nigerians, some stakeholders especially but not limited to the ad hoc staff,
parents and students use this menace called corruption to perpetuate examination
fraud at any stage of the examining process .
•:. The mode of appointing ad hoc staff may partly be contributory to the persistence
of this cankerworm in our examining system as some people of unproven
integrity could be inadvertently used forthe conduct of public examinations.
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l~ Adams Onuka
.:. Smuggling answer books into or out of the examination centres. This process
enables mercenaries to write examinations for lazy and willing examinees,
sometimes with the connivance of other stakeholders like teachers, parents,
officials and even security, hence, all of us are to blame as several people who
are Nigerians across the length and breadth ofthe country are involved in the
examining process in one way or the other.
Causes of examination malpractices:
Onuka and Durowoju (2010) outline the following as the possible causes of the menace
of examination malpractice:
o Greed! avarice: Nigerians have become so perverse that whenever money is
involved in a process, they become blind folded so much so that only a few
persons can resist participation in corrupt practices and thus perversion of justice
and fairness/fairplay, which examination malpractice is.
o Corruption: we have become so permissive that it has almost become an
acceptable norm in doing things in the country, to the extent, that those who
openly denounced corruption are the ones directly or indirectly promoting
corruption as well. Therefore, until someone at the top displays the rare courage,
publicly declaring his assets and adding nothing more both while in office and
afterwards, corruption will continue to thrive.
o Dishonesty: Many a Nigerian is dishonest in all areas of human endeavour as
long as that will enable them earn a living irrespective of whether it is by hook or
crook. Actually, although many a Nigerian is religious yet we are very
hypocritical and dishonest in our undertakings and therefore, are also engaged in
examination malpractices.
o IndolencelLethargy: a substantial number of both teachers and students are
indolent or lethargic, culminating in their ultimate resort to examination fraud. In
addition, the study habits of most students are poor and expectedly the resultant
effect is engagement in examination fraud. Often times ill-preparedness leading
to examination phobia, the students are less self efficacious. Students are so much
engrossed in pleasure drive that they hardly have time for other important things
and thereby make deliberate effort to do effective study by managing their time
well (Onuka, 2011).
o Lack of political will to deal with culprits: those charged with the responsibility
of dealing with examination malpractices lack the political will to do so either
because they are afraid due to the attendant threat to life or some of their people
are involved and cannot take any reasonably requisite action to deal with such
matter decisively.
o Conspiracy to carry out the act among examining body officials, parents, teachers,
teachers and school authorities as well as examinees not only cause but also very
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Examination Malpractice III Nigeria: The Role of Information and Communication Technology 191
much promote the menace in both the education and examining systems in
Nigeria. It is also obvious that some parents aid and abet their wards to undertake
examination malpractices not just in Nigeria alone and also in the Gambia
(Onuka and Durowoju, 2010; Conteh, 2008).
o Complacence on the part of the judiciary and the law enforcement agents to
enforce the law and prosecute as well as decisively and appropriately sanction the
culprits. Thus, perpetrators take the liberty to continue doing the business and
others joining the evil act by the day. Furthermore, interference in the
investigation and prosecution of examination fraudsters by powerful individuals
in our society also promote the continued occurrence of the menace.
o Another obvious cause of examination malpractice in Nigeria is the tall orders
governments at some levels often issue to principals and head-teachers to ensure
that their students/candidates all pass the various examinations, otherwise they
will be dismissed. Such directives usually put the school leadership on edge. This
is more so that such threat is not often matched by provision of the enabling
environment (Onuka and Amusan, 2008).
o The mode of recruiting ad hoc personnel for the conduct of examinations: as
pointed out earlier, the mode of recruiting ad hoc staff for the conduct of public
examinations needs to be reviewed. Even ifthe present system of depending on
the school system for the recruitment is allowed to remain, such ad hoc staff
should be shuffled around even though it might be cost intensive, yet anything that
can be done to ensure the integrity and indeed accountability of our school system
would be an appropriate remedial measure.
o Dwindling value system: it is a known fact that our value system has dwindled so
mercilessly, that people no longer place any premium on accountability, probity
and integrity, so anything goes (Ojerinde, 2011).
o As noted by Onuka and Durowoju (2010), the craze for wealth and unmerited
possession has led people to do all sorts of things including examination
malpractices. Unfortunately the religious groups in the country have joined the
craze for wealth and material possessions by hook or crook train that they can no
longer act as watchdogs. The resultant effect is heavy toll on moral rectitude and
deficiency.
o Broken homes are equally a major contributing factor to examination malpractice
as children of broken homes are often maltreated and not provided for such that
they easily join groups that are anything but well-behaved and good.
o Lack of monitoring: teaching and learning activities are no longer seriously
monitored and evaluated in order to improve the learning and teaching process for
effective and all-round education of the child. The development, therefore, has its
toll on the polity. Unless uncorrupted inspection is returned to the school at all
levels of education and teaching,the process will continue to be ineffective and as
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192 Adams Onuka
such, examination fraud will refuse to abate.
o The undue emphasis placed on certificate rather than acquisition of skills and
competence is also a major cause ofthe cankerworm under discourse.
o The insufficiency of the available teaching-learning materials and their
substandard nature contribute immensely to the malaise called examination
malpractice. To ameliorate the anomaly, there is the need to ensure that sufficient
quantum of standard teaching and learning materials are provided to make
learning practical and skills acquisition oriented. The government rather than
solve these anomalies would want to harass and blackmail or intimidate the
examining bodies to lower standard. This attitude, of course, is not the proper way
of solving the problem of mass failure; it can only aggravate the already complex
caseofEP.
o Overcrowded classrooms and congested examination halls cannot but be
principal reasons why [EP] is so rampant year in year out. This ugly situation leads
to inadequate spacing of candidates during the actual conduct of public
examinations. Until and unless adequate number of classrooms and large halls are
provided for teaching and learning as well as examinations, there will continue to
be substandard system which will in turn produce substandard products, which
are not good for use by the labour market.
In addition, a good number of students attend classes irregularly. Monitoring of
wards by parents and teachers and cooperation between them could improve
attendance at schools by students and subsequently students' performance in
examinations.
Methods employed to carry out examination malpractices
Quite a number of methods are employed to perpetuate EP. Some of them are listed
below:
"* Desktop publishing: this is a system of writing on the desk probably before the examination
starts. It does not necessarily result from leakage, but the students would have suspected what
would likely come out in the examinations and so may have copied something they think could
be the answers. This also happens at internally administered examination in schools.
"*- Laptop publishing writing on the examinee's lap suspected answers to permuted
questions which may and may not eventually appear as en visaged by the candidate[ s].
However, if they do appear on the questions, it would give them undue advantage over their
peers. Nevertheless, whether or not they appear, since the intent to commit examination fraud
was behind the original idea or motive of doing so, examination malpractice had already been
committed.
-ri Palmtop publishing i.e. writing suspected answers to leaked or permuted (expected) questions
on their palms prior to the commencement of the conduct of examinations. with till' intent w
have undue advantage or obtain unmerited marks.
this is pictorial1y depicted below.
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Examination Malpractice In Nigeria: The Role of Information and Communication Technology 193
Microchips-refer to writing on very tiny pieces of papers with equally very tiny writing that only a
very painstaking invigilator or supervisor with very good eyes would be able to read them. It is only
an extra vigilant supervisor or invigilator and security person that can discover them. An example of
this is the pictorial below:
Candidate brings out copied material from his thigh
Source: http ..Imypenmypaper.wordpress.com
Culled from Onuka and Durowoju (2011)
••• Cell phone publishing - this is using the mobile phones to save envisaged or true
answers where leakage occurs or to send answers to questions on SMS to candidates.
Where candidates succeed in smuggling cell phenes into the examination halls
undetected and where the invigilators and supervisor are not extra vigilant, the
candidates could then use the saved suspected answers or read and copy answers sent
to them through SMS. This is pictorially illustrated below:
Student copying from handset
Source:http://caemi.on!..l
Culled from Onuka and Durowoju (2011)
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194 Adams Onuka
~ Impersonation/mercenary engagement-in fact, the point just be made above can result
from mercenary activities as well, where conspiracy had been hatched and employed.
~ Cooperative cheating where stakeholders had previously planned and execute the plan
to allow mass cheating, we have a cooperative cheating.
The figures below illustrates a form of cooperative cheating
Candidates passing copied material to each other
Source: feathersproj eet.wordpress.eom
J.. Culled from Onuka and Durowoju (2011)
Students caught cheating
Source: 234next.com
Culled from Onuka and Durowoju (2011)
Effects of examination malpractice
Every action and / or inaction has one form of consequence or another, which can either
be positive or negative. We can thus infer than examination malpractice could have not
been otherwise. Thus, Onuka and Durowoju (2010) identify the following effects of the
cankerworm on the individual and indeed the nation.
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Examination Malpractice III Nigeria: The Role ofInfornuttion and Communication Technology [95
.... Some people's certificate are worthless, since they cannot defend such the
certificates they claim to have worked for and passed, as they did not in the first
instance work hard for it and cannot therefore, prove its worth, This reminds onc
of a story of two candidates shortlisted for a position: one had a second class
upper division certificate, while the other person passed at a second class lower
division. The two of them were shortlisted for a job interview, the one with
second class upper division could not answer a single question claiming he had
headache. The second candidate with second class lower division performed
brilliantly and eventually secured the job. This has gone beyond a disgrace to the
individuals and has now dove-tailed to becoming a national disgrace as
certificates from the Nigerian educational Institutions which used to be highly
valuable in the global employment market have now become questionable, due
the very low premium placed on our certificates as a result of persistence of
examination fraud.
The menace has led both teachers and students losses of foci in the teaching and
learning, since in their calculation, hard work is no longer rewarding. This
portends that some stakeholders do not take teaching and learning seriously,
thereby becoming non-challant about the process and consequently have a
telling effect on future generations.
A careful and critical assessment of the education system reveals that the issue of
healthy competition among examinees has been relegated to the background and
consequently no serious study takes place again in the system leading to
continued erosion of educational values in the country.
Consequently the education industry suffers while the quality of human capital
output of the system degenerates.
Examination malpractice has also increased the culture of violence in the
education sector, no serious study is being undertaking by some of the students
engaged in the act, believing that they can undertake examination malpractice
via violence or threat to life as people are likely to put much value on their lives.
Violence will scare them and to such students committing violence is much
easier than studying.
It also usually leads to cancellation of certain examination papers and innocent
students are thereby affected.
It can sometimes lead to de-recognition of schools as examination centres, when
cases of mass malpractices are proven. The resultant consequence is that some
innocent persons suffer for the offence of a minority or the negligence of those
charged with responsibility ofthe instilling and maintaining sanity in the system.
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1% Adams Onuka
The role of Information and Communication Technology [lCT] in examination
malpractice
The role of ICT in examination malpractice can be duo-dimensional namely: it can
either be positive or negative as it can both be used to fight and to perpetrate the evil
referred to as examination malpractice or fraud. From the methods of perpetuating the
act of examination fraud outlined above, we can infer that the use of ICT is equally
involved in carrying out the menace in more ways than one. The use ofICT tools such
as Bluetooth enables hackers to tap information from computers or handsets by
another. The use of close circuit television set enables monitoring of activities of
people from a distance, since walls no longer constitute barriers to such monitoring of
activities. It must be noted that though ICT plays a double-edged sword role in terms of
examination malpractices, the negative is minimal compared to the positive role it can
play in curtailing examination malpractices.
Find below the pictorial illustrations of some of the methods mentioned ill this
discourse:
Visual capture of Examination malpractices leT tools:
Use of mobile plzonefor cheating
Source: http/.teensworldng. wordpress. com
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Examination Malpractice 111 Nigeria: The Role of Information and Communication Technology 197
Culled from Onuka and Durowoju (2011)
lCT is more useful in perpetuating malpractice prior to the conduct of examination, if
inadvertently there are corrupt and dubious but smart persons involved in the
construction, moderation and printing of examination papers. Those who type
examination papers and printers must be put on watch so that they do not use ICT tools
save the papers in order to leak the papers for monetary gains later, since there are
several ways of saving on the computer. They could also use Bluetooth to hack items
from the computer of another. Those who are in the business of examination
malpractice could perpetuate it by networking with cliques both within and outside
examining bodies to install secretly some monitoring lCT tools like close circuit
television [CCTV] to monitor pre-examination management activities with the intent of
hacking and storing questions for sale to those who may wish to participate in
examination malpractices. However, counter measures by the examining bodies using
the same ICT to arrest such situation in the bud would save the situation. The examining
bodies only need to study the trend in examination malpractice via lCT and forestall it.
The use of scanners and biometric machines by JAMB is a right step in the right
direction. It is hoped that other examining bodies in the country will emulate this
important step to arresting examination fraud in our body polity.
Efforts made so far to curtail examination malpractice
Examination Malpractice is not a new phenomenon and it is also not limited to Nigeria
alone, but it is equally global with varying degrees from one clime to another (Onuka
and Obialo, 2004; Conteh, 2008; The Kenya National Examinations Council [KNEC],
2009; Ojerinde, 2011). Thus, it can be inferred that efforts in curtailing or curbing the
menace cannot be new as well. In Nigeria, both government, examining bodies, non-
governmental organisations such as Orderly Society Trust [OST] through organisation
of seminars and the Exam Ethics currently recruiting exam ethics marshals and also
concurrently holding national conference on exam ethics 14-16 November, 2011 are
involved in finding solution to and/or fighting the menace (Onuka and Durowoju,
2011). However, it is not known that any State in the Federation has actually taken
deliberate action in assisting to curb the menace. It also known that the Federal
Government enacted a decree on examination malpractices in 1999 now known as Act
33 of 1999. It is, however, yet to be seen as being fully applied in the fight against the
fraud (Onuka and Durowoju, 20 10), as hardly have culprits/perpetrators of examination
malpractices been brought to book. The West African Examinations Council and the
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l~ Adams Onuka
Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board have some mechanisms to curtail the
incidence of examination malpractices. Nevertheless can we pointedly state that these
have not been as effective as had been envisaged by these bodies? Anewspaper reported
that WAEC had always endeavour to punish any culprit caught committing any of act
bothering on examination fraud (The Nigerian Tribune of20'" August 20] 0 on page 5)
The Nigerian Tribune of25'" August 2008 and The Nigerian Tribune erzo" August 20 I0
on page 5 respectively reported that JAMB claimed to have conducted an almost exam
fraud free examination while WAEC withheld a total of77, 168 results of candidates out
of a total of 1, 351, 567 that sat for the 2010 MAY/ JUNE (WASCE) for alleged
involvement in various types of examination malpractices. Furthermore, Aworanti,
Adewuni and Arakpogun (2010) listed the following as the measures adopted by
National Business and Technical Examinations Board (NABTEB) to curtail
examination malpractices: Tripartite monitoring; introduction of station work;
sanctioning the affected schools and candidates; appointment/training of credible
persons as supervisors; commendation where malpractice was not committed during
the exercise; enlightenment campaign and progressive distribution of question papers
etc.
The implication of the points made above is that the examining bodies in Nigeria are
seriously fighting the menace with all the resources within their power for the purpose.
It must be noted that the tripartite monitoring adopted by the Nigerian national
examining bodies is the brain child of Professor Dibu Ojerinde, who is taking the lead in
the use ofICT to curtail exam malpractice. In furthering its leadership role in the fight
against the menace of examination malpractices, JAMB led by Professor Dibu
Ojerinde, blaze the trail again by introducing scanners and biometric machines to curb
the menace and also firing Board staff that were found to have encouraged or been
involved in malpractice [www.allafrica.com; www.quicknews.africa.net]. He also led
the examining body to develop a comprehensive checklist for monitoring the activities
of the unified tertiary matriculation examination [UMTE], which is meant to improve
JAMB's performance (JAMB, 20 11). It is noteworthy to state that examining bodies
alone cannot successfully curb examination fraud except all hands are on deck as it is as
bad as electoral fraud to which we have devoted much attention while passing is paid to
the cankerworm call examination malpractice that can itself give birth to electoral
malpractice because 'success' in committing examination fraud is a precursor to
electoral fraud.
Using I'C'I' to solve examination malpractices
The original intention for developing Information and Communication Technologies is
for the development of the globe and not for its destruction. Nevertheless, as God has
rightly described the human as having a heart being desperately wicked and it can only
be decipher by God Himself [Jeremiah 17:9], human beings often turn good intention
upside down for selfish reasons and thereby become tools in the hands of the devil for
destruction rather than construction, thereby using lCT negatively for evil devices such
as examination malpractice.
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Ouma (2007) sees lCT as 'a range of innovative technologies for gathering, processing,
retrieving and transmitting information, information communication technology [lCT]
supports a wide range of activities in many ways'.[p.3]. Ssempebwa, Canene and
Mugabe (2007) believe that in the last forty years of its development, lCT has been
beneficial to many nations of the world. In fact, there is no gainsaying in this statement
as it is true. It has indeed made life very easy and reduces the world to a global village
and thus made life much easier as information that used to take months to get
transmitted can now be done in a split second. These and many more are the benefits of
leT in the modem world. It can, therefore, be inferred from the forgoing that lCT can be
used to curtail examination malpractices. Below are examples 0 fways in which leT can
be of use in the curtailment of examination fraud.
a. leT can be used in the three-dimensional security approach to curbing examination
malpractice as suggested by Onuka (2009), namely: proactive, concurrent and
retrospective approaches to tbe security of examination materials at all the three
major stages of the examination process [developmental, examination
administration and post-examination administration {marking and
grading/dissemination} stages] by promoting positive use while at the same putting
mechanism in place to nip in the bud any attempt to utilize ICT for sharp practices in
any of the stages outlined above. leT monitoring equipment should be acquired,
install and utilize to monitor leT processes in the public examining process.
b. Close Circuit Television [CCTY] sets should be deliberately but discretely installed
in strategic locations where examining stages take place to monitor the
examination process, in order to nip any attempted malpractice in bud, because
examination malpractice can occur at any of the stages, not only during the
administration of the examinations, but also before and after the conduct of
examination [during the preparatory and marking/ grading process].
c. Stakeholders should cooperatively install ICT gadgets such as biometric capture
machine, direct data capture machines, scanners and close circuit TY sets at
strategic places throughout the examining process to nip malpractices headlong, as
examining bodies alone cannot single handedly fight the menace to stand still.
However, when all hands are on deck, the fight might soon become a thing of the
past. JAMB under Professor Dibu Ojerinde should be commended for blazing the
trail of using lCT to curb examination malpractices during the conduct of the
examinations. However, this should be extended to other stages of the examining
process to further strengthen this mechanism for the fight against continuing
examination malpractices in our polity, as prevention is not only better than cure,
but less costly as well.
d. ICT equipment should be utilized to counter and detect unholy act. This action
would definitely avert unnecessary and evil use of lCT in examination
malpractices, because such precautionary measures will help detect any untoward
use ofICT in the examining process.
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200 Adams Onuka
e. Less emphasis should be placed on certificate, rather emphasis should be on the
totality ofleaming outcomes namely, each examinee should be able to prove their
competence cognitively, affectively and psychomotor wise.
f. All stakeholders must cooperate in the fight against this vice also utilizing JCT to
fight against those using JCT to commit the act of examination malpractice, while
culprits should be apprehended, investigated and possibly prosecuted with
appropriately applied sanction where found guilty of forgery using ICT, which of
course is criminal in our law.
g. Examination malpractices when properly viewed from all ramifications qualify to
be termed:forgelJl and examination rigging, and should be seen as such as well and
also treated as such by establishing examination malpractices tribunal to deal with
all examination fraud cases decisively, just as the cases election malpractices are
dealt with.
CONCLUSION
The discourse so far reveals that there are several dimensions to examination
malpractices and that the menace is as criminal as forgery and electoral
fraud/malpractices and they must both be seen and treated as such, if it were to be
effectively and decisively dealt with in order to curb the menace to minimize its
negative telling effect on our education sector. In the area of using lC'I' tools to curb
examination malpractices, Joint Matriculation and Admissions Board is a trail blazer by
using the biometric equipment to curtail examination malpractices in 2011. It is thus
appropriate that not only should other examining bodies join in using the equipment to
reduce the incidence of examination fraud, but that all stakeholders in the industry must
contribute meaningfully to making the system work by joining in purchasing more of
such equipment to accelerate their use to curb both ICT and non-ICT methods of
committing this crime. The process will help to promote the sanctity of the certificates
issued by these examining bodies and by extension our education system. We will then
be able to restore the lost glory of our education system and proudly take our place in the
education sector among the comity of nations.
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