By Msonter Anzaa
“The worst day of a man’s life is the
day he sits down and plans how he can get something for nothing.” Thomas Jefferson
Exam malpractice is a common phenomenon
in Nigeria. Wherever exams are held, the probability that there is exam
malpractice in that place is 1. It will certainly be there. We have all
witnessed it. We all know someone who has indulged in it. Some of us have
engaged in it for ourselves or our friends. Some of us are exam malpractice
contractors – we are contracted to facilitate it on our clients’ behalf. Of
course we all admit it is morally and socially wrong, so why do we still engage
in it? This series looks at causes of exam malpractice, its effects and how we
can reduce it and instill credibility in our exams.
Who are those who engage in exam
malpractice? They are parents, teachers, students and all who have a role to
play in the education of our society. One major cause of exam malpractice is
the one mentioned by Thomas Jefferson above – the desire to get something for
nothing. A lot of things are responsible for this desire. It could be laziness.
Some of us are too lazy to do any serious work. We do not have the discipline
to sit down and study. We love to gallivant from place to place; one birthday
party to another. We want cheap fame, so we are all over the campus, doing
whatever we can to get it. We want to pass exams for nothing. It could also be
greed. We don’t want to commit anything to our studies. We just want to pass.
We’ll look for shortcuts and pass our exams quick, quick, just like that. We
think we are smart people. We won’t have to do all the reading and writing;
we’d simply take something into the hall and copy onto the answer booklet. We
will pass for nothing.
Another cause of exam malpractice is
poor upbringing. Some of us come from homes whose moral fabric is rotten. We
have no sense of honesty, hard work, commitment or uprightness. It is our
nature to misbehave, so when we do something wrong, we are only being natural.
No one in our family thinks it is wrong to cheat in exams. We are simply being
smart, and our parents are proud to have us. After all, are we not only being
like them? Some of them in government change figures, burn some records, throw
others in River Benue in order to steal something from public treasury
entrusted in their care. When they have “made it,” they hold huge thanksgiving
services appreciating heaven for helping those who “help themselves.” They even
pay malpractice contractors on our behalf. They put us in miracle centers where
SSCE is take-and-chop, and school fees are charged based on how many
distinctions one wants to have in the exam.
One other factor encouraging exam
malpractice is inability to enforce anti-malpractice laws. Many brilliant laws
have been made against exam malpractice. One law recommended 21 years
imprisonment upon conviction. The Independent Corrupt Practices Act 2000
recommends 7 years imprisonment. Yet as I write this, no one I know has gone to
jail or paid a fine for being convicted of exam malpractice. So the message has
been sent that you can actually go away with malpractice. As a result, exam
invigilators now go to their stations with high financial expectations. They
would task the students a certain amount each and would then allow them conduct
themselves whichever way they want. Everyone gains. The invigilator gets some
extra money to spray at the evening drinking party. The students get good
grades for nothing. The invigilator will not go to jail, even if he is caught.
However, he wouldn’t even be caught. If he were caught at all, he would simply
share the malpractice sum with the law agent and the deal would be settled.
Corruption; everyone is guilty of it. The students would not be caught as long
as they play their role. And the malpractice cycle flourishes.
Perhaps the greatest factor in favour
of exam malpractice is the acceptability is has in our society. It is a normal
thing. Our students are expected to indulge in it to pass their exams in flying
colours. We want them to make quick progress in their academics, graduate, get
jobs and make money. In fact, we are at a point in Nigeria’s history where not
to indulge in malpractice is an abnormal thing. Helping others to pass their
exams the malpractice way is a compulsory patriotic duty. It’s an act of
community service! That’s how far we have come, and this attitude nourishes the
virus called exam malpractice.
To be continued
Read also Exam Malpractice: Rescuing the Future 2
And some people feel comfortable doing this, when others were burning their night candles, where were they, partying, jolificatin, flirting and they don't just have the time for reading any bullshit... God Help such people
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