A CASE STUDY OF SELECTED SECONDARY SCHOOLS
IN IKWO LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA
This
chapter comprises of the following: the background of
the study, the
genesis of examination malpractice in Nigeria can be traced to 1914 when the
senior Cambridge examination leaked. There
was leakage in the west African Examination Council in 1963, Omotos (1988).
The
historical background or the origin of examination in Ikwo Local Government
Area in particular and Nigeria in general cannot be unaccompanied with
indiscipline and the corruptible nature of the society today. Oxford advance
learner’s Dictionary (1999:711) defined malpractice as unacceptable behaviour
by somebody in professional or official position. The Michael west English
Dictionary defined malpractice as wrong doing. The act of malpractice start
from home’ most families today do not inculate in their children the right
attitudes and these bad conducts are carried out to the society. There
is also the biblical reference of wrong doing where Jacob wrongly look away his
brother’s birth right (Gen.27:1-29) the existence of malpractice is as old as
the world and has eaten deep into the jabric of our lives, including political,
economical and educational aspect. Politically, there is electoral and
educational aspect politically, there is electoral malpractice, which includes
rigging of election and gerrymandering that is favouring one party at the
expenses of others in the delimitation of the constituencies, Okpata F.O and
etal (200). Economically,
Nigeria losses more than fifty (
Educationally,
according to Thyen (1974:33) the purpose of examination are among others:
a.
To ascertain
whether a specified standard has been reached.
b. To select a given number of candidates
c. To test the efficiency of teaching and learning
d. To evaluate each candidates subsequent performance
e. To predict each candidates subsequent performance
IN
education context, examination are ways of testing systematically to determine
the extent to which students achieve intuitional objectives. It becomes clear
that when one’s knowledge or ability is tested any act of wrongdoing shall be a
negation of the aims and objectives for which the examination were set up. In
1970 there were regulates and malpractice in west African school certificates
examination. The 1981 leakage were however, the most wades pared, the worst in
the history, of West African Examination Council (WAEC) Nigeria Omotoso etal
(1998).
There
are different types of examination malpractice which includes the followings:
1.
Mass
cheating/co-operation: This involves: the students or learners, teachers,
invigilators and the principals.
2.
Impersonation:
This is the method of paying someone else to write the exam or by contract.
3.
Bride: This is
giving money, sex, gift to encourage cheating.
4.
Foreign material:
This is bringing of answer aids into the exam hall. It is commonly called Expo,
Bullet, Mgbo, chips Omokirikiri etc.
5.
Leakage: This
system of getting the question before the exam
6.
Clearance fee:
This is a levy imposed all the student by the school to settle the invigilator
so as to allow malpractice in the whole school.
7.
Special Centress:
These are private expensive places where one can get certificates without any
effort
8.
Threats and
assoutl: This is special way cults guys students and everyone.
9.
Sign and codes:
These are secrete operation use to pass answers to the students.
10.
Mass promotion:
promotion every students by up grading them because of money or favour.
11.
Sales of handout:
This is carried out in higher institution by lecturers at exorbitant price and
threatens students to buy or jail.
The
following people are involved in examination malpractices. They includes:
principals, invigilators, Teachers, Parents, Typist, friends, clergy-ment and
women and even the government.
The
consequences of examination are:
1.
It results to
indiscipline and laziness.
2.
It creates wasted
life, frustration and agony
3.
it brings shame
disgrace to one’s family and the country.
4.
It brings fake
and forgery of identity
5.
Reduces the
standard and value of a country.
6.
It produces a
lawless and disordered society.
In
this researcher, my focus is mainly on external examination in some selected
secondary school in Ikwo Local Government Area of Ebonyi State.
In
fact, what happen is some, if not most of our secondary schools whenever
external examination is going on, your guess is as good as mine. This gives me
sleepless night because our society eventually must be at receiving ends, since
those students are the leaders of tomorrow.
I
strongly believed that there is no need for a prophet to predict that eschewing
examination malpractice is the only condition to restore the lost glories in
our educational sector. Another reason also is to find out the solution to the
problem of examination malpractice in our secondary school in Ikwo in
particular and the society in general.
STATEMENT OF RESEARCH PROBLEM
The
problems created by examination malpractice have eaten deep into the fabric of
our lives.
A
trip down the memory lane of the eradication of examination malpractice in
secondary schools in Ikwo Local Government Area is no novel concept. Right from
the first secondary established in 1976 which is Ikwo High school Agusia there
have been rivary and hospility culminating in examination malpractice which led
to the production of half baked teachers and people parading with certificates
which they cannot defend.
In
our country today, there are architects, surveyors, accountants, doctors,
engineers, bankers who cannot differentiate their left from right. Examination
malpractice is the reason why the quality of private and public sector, policy-making
machinery is very poor. Our yesterday is gone forever, our today in mired in
Crisis. Tomorrow belongs to us. It is our duty to light against and retrieve
our tomorrow from the grip of those who are bent on destroying it.
OBJECTIVES (AIM
or PURPOSE) OF THE STUDY.
The
main purpose of this research is to make a modest contribution to the
eradication of examination malpractice with special reference to some selected
secondary schools in Ikwo Local Government Area of Ebonyi State. The study will
also discover the basic cause of examination malpractice in varies from one
school to another or there generally the same cause all over the Local
Government Area. The researcher will review the functions of parents, teachers
students examination board which include staff under them who have involved
themselves in one-way or the other and suggest how to eradicate such ugly
situation.
Further more, the purpose of the
research is to inculcate the habits of reading among the students and also find
out the last solution to examination malpractice on the side of students while
one the other hand to stamp out get-rich quick syndrome which lures the minds
of the examination authorities to materialism.
SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY
The
significance of this research cannot be over emphasized; this is because
examination malpractice has more harm than good in our secondary school system
and the society at large. For it has helped in the production of half baked
students, teachers and people parading with certificate they cannot defend.
The
importance of this research is to find out a lasting solution to the problem of
examination malpractice in our secondary school here in Ikwo. The findings of
this research will help in no small measure to reduce the rate at which
examination malpractice triggers fears on the educational system in Ikwo Local
Government in years to come.
The
research will also help other students who would prefer to carry out their
research in the study particularly here in Ikwo.
Conclusively,
examination malpractice should be stopped in order to produce qualitative
students in our educational system, which will make it rich the zenith of
academic excellent.
RESEARCH HYPOTHESIS/QUESTIONS
The
following question will form the bedrock of the study.
1.
Can the teacher’s
laxity in any way increase the rate of examination malpractice among students?
2.
Is it trued that
lack of libraries in our schools contribute to examination malpractice in
secondary schools in Ikwo Local Government Area?
3.
will hand-over of
secondary schools to the church help to stop examination malpractice in Ikwo
Local Government Area.
4.
Is it true
assessment that female gender participates more in examination malpractice than
the male counterpart
The following question will form the
bedrock of the study.
1.
Can the teacher’s
laxity in any way increase the rate of examination malpractice among students?
2.
Is it true that
lack of libraries in our schools contribute to examination malpractice in
secondary schools in Ikwo Local Government Area.
3.
Will hand-over of
secondary schools to the church help to stop examination malpractice in Ikwo
Local Government Area?
4.
Is it true
assessment that female gender participates more in examination malpractice than
the male counterpart?
THE SCOPE AND LIMITATION OF THE STUDY
This
study shall look into the ways of eradication of examination malpractice in
secondary school, Agubia, Ndiagu Echara community secondary school Eka-Awoke
community secondary school, community secondary school; Noyo Alike, Girsl High
school Ikwo and Urban secondary school, Ndufu Echara. The scope would have been
extended to other secondary school, than these but because of some course of my
research such as transport, data collection, unreliasility of some
interviewers, financial constrains including crowed programme of the studies in
the campus.
Also,
due to the limitation of financial constitutions, materials and time resource,
the sample may be very small in relation to the entire population.
DEFINITION OF TERMS
ERADICATION: The Oxford Advanced learner’s Dictionary of current
English new edition by A.S Hornby (1999) defines eradication as to destroy
something completely, to put an end to something.
EXAMINATION: The oxford Advanced learner’s Dictionary of current
English new edition by A.S Horn by (1999) defines examination as a formal test
of somebody’s knowledge or ability especially by means of written questions or
practical exercises. In educational context, examinations are ways of testing
systematical to determine the extent to which the student achieve instructional
objectives.
Then
oxford Advanced learner’s Dictionary of current English new edition by A.S Horn
by (1999) defines malpractice as wrongdoing, neglect of duty e.g. dishonest
help of a position of trust for personal gain.
EXAMINATION MALPRACTICE: From the West Africa Examination Council point view,
examination malpractice can be defined as any irregular behaviour exhibited by
candidate or anybody charged with the conduct of examination in such
examination such behaviour must be a sort of contravention of the rules and
regulations governing the conduct of such examination.
However,
in common usage especially in contemporary Nigeria, examination malpractice
refers to infringement of the prscribe code of conduct and behaviour first by
the candidat and then by the teachers, invigilators, parents and markers as
well.