By Abdulazeez Mala (9NEWS NIGERIA, GOMBE STATE)
The Federal Government has taken a decisive step to tackle examination malpractice in the country.
The Honourable Minister of Education, Dr. Maruf Olatunji Alausa, convened a meeting with key examination bodies in Abuja to devise strategies to improve the quality of examinations.
The meeting, attended by the Registrars of JAMB, NECO, and the Head of the National Office for the West African Examinations Council (WAEC), focused on addressing key issues such as exam leakages, identity theft, and fraud.
Dr. Alausa emphasized the government’s zero-tolerance stance on examination malpractice, stressing the need to protect the sanctity of all examinations.
He also reiterated the government’s commitment to upholding the integrity of high-stakes exams conducted by NECO and WAEC, as well as placement exams administered by JAMB.
He noted that a committee has been established to address the issues, and it will be formally inaugurated in January next year.
One of the key decisions made during the meeting was the transition of all examinations to a Computer-Based Testing (CBT) platform within the next three years, ensuring a more secure and efficient examination process.
According to Dr. Alausa, the move is a significant step towards protecting the quality and future of education as well as building a robust and credible examination system for Nigeria.
“We are moving swiftly to protect the future of our education system and ensure that our students’ achievements are recognized fairly and accurately,” the ministry noted.
Also speaking , the Minister of State for Education, Dr. Suwaiba Said Ahmad, also lamented the prevalence of examination malpractice in Nigeria’s educational system.
She highlighted alarming practices such as students pooling funds to access leaked answers via WhatsApp and schools bribing officials to enable cheating.
