Stakeholders in Akwa Ibom, Cross River and Rivers have demanded strict government policies in curbing examinations malpractices, especially ‘’miracles centres” in the country, expressing mixed views on whether Computer Based Test (CBT) can eradicate the practice.
The stakeholders, who spoke on examination malpractice, a News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) survey, identified parents, teachers, some private schools, and the West African Examination Council (WAEC) as aiding miracle centres.
While some welcomed the proposed CBT by WAEC and NECO, others said the reform would fail without massive investment in ICT training, computers in schools, and a shift from certificate obsession to continuous assessment.
In Akwa Ibom, Prof Ntiaobong Ekong, an educationist, said the students’ scores in continuous assessment should carry more weight than major examinations to eradicate miracle centres and malpractices.
Ekong, a Professor of Agriculture Education and former Dean, Faculty of Education, University of Uyo, advocated 70 per cent for continuous assessment and 30 per cent for examination.
He said this would spur students to read and prepare , thereby curbing malpractice, blaming the proliferation of private schools on government and ministry approvals granted without due diligence.
He said such situations encourage malpractice and urged government to thoroughly screen applications to ensure schools meet standards before approval.
Ekong said malpractice could be controlled by ensuring discipline, and effective policy implementation, adding that discipline must start from the top.
The educationist, a former state Commissioner for Education, further said that authorities should scrutinise teachers’ qualifications, staff strength, and principals’ records before granting approval.
“Teaching is not an all-comers affair; to prepare students for examinations, you need experts in different fields of studies,” he said.
He attributed the lucrative business of miracle centres to invigilators who accept financial inducement instead of doing their job.
The professor said over-emphasis on certificates was a major reason miracle centres thrived, stressing, ”everyone wants to pass examinations whether by hook or by crook.”
On CBT to be introduced by WAEC and NECO, Ekong said that writing in examinations helped students express themselves better.
According to him, CBT is just ticking and does not curb examination malpractice because it is easier to compromise.
“However, if CBT must be used, each student should be independent of another. There should be deliberate policies to train teachers on ICT and computers installed across schools. Without that, CBT will be useless,” Ekong said.
Mr Etim Ukpong, retired Principal and former Chairman, Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) in the state, said that examination malpractice had existed in the country before 1977.
Ukpong alleged that influential Nigerians started it to ensure their wards obtained high grades, while the advent of private schools enhanced the proliferation of miracle centres and examination malpractice.
The former NLC Chairman said that for malpractice to be checked, leaders and influential people in the society should send their children to public schools.
Ukpong urged parents to ”allow their children to write examinations by themselves, get the grades that properly belong to them, and where they could not pass, they repeat the class and write again.”
”If government and ministries come together and say, ‘this thing has brought shame to us, let us put policies and programmes in place to stop it,’ they can do it,” he said.
On CBT, Ukpong said it would take an honest and vigilant leadership to make the system work and urged government to equip schools with computers and train teachers before WAEC and NECO introduce CBT.
Mr Aniefiok Udonquak, a veteran journalist, said miracle centres showed the extent of rot in the country’s education system.
Udonquak called for the reintroduction of inspectors and monitoring teams to frequently monitor schools’ activities, blaming miracle centres on proliferation of private schools.
He urged government to train, equip, and pay teachers well to ensure proper supervision and discourage malpractice,
Udonquak said CBT would likely reduce malpractice because results are published immediately, urging government and examination bodies to equip school with computers.
He also called for the training teachers and the students in CBT and warned against making students to travel to take exams.
Mr Edet Emenyi, NUT Chairman, Akwa Ibom Chapter, urged government to hold strategic meetings with Principals, examination bodies and Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to tackle malpractice.
He accused school proprietors, parents, and teachers of aiding malpractice and urged government to equip public schools, employ more teachers, and ensure credible supervision by WAEC.
He regretted that WAEC exams were no longer strictly monitored, recalling that in the past, culprits had their results withheld.
On CBT, he stressed the need to train Senior Secondary students in computer use but said that the students should not be moved from one school to another for exams.
”Government should employ enough computer teachers, engage them in training and retraining, supply computers to secondary schools and dismantle miracle centres,” he said.
In Cross River, Mr Effanga Etim, a Civil Servant, attributed the growing examination malpractice and “miracle centres” to poor leadership, irresponsible parents and examination bodies.
”How do WAEC and NECO questions get to people before the examinations? Can the officials sent to monitor examinations centres, sincerely say they are not aware that a centre is a miracle centre?
”If officials don’t stop collecting bribes and looking away to allow malpractices in centres, irresponsible parents will continue to circumvent the system and our society and leaders hardly care,” he asserted.
Prof. Boniface Odeh, President, National Parent Teacher Association of Nigeria (NAPTAN), said miracle centres threatened the credibility of WAEC and NECO examinations and undermined Nigeria’s education system.
Odeh attributed the menace to poor teaching, inadequate preparation, pressure for high pass rates and society’s preference for certificates over competence.
“Although some private schools are implicated, many still operate responsibly; so I urge stronger monitoring, integrity-based accreditation and stricter sanctions against offenders,” he said.
Odeh described CBT as a positive reform but urged biometric verification, stricter supervision, tougher penalties, and national value reorientation to achieve lasting integrity.
On his part, Mr Abraham Osok, Chairman, National Association of Proprietors of Private Schools (NAPPS), Cross River Chapter, condemned malpractice, and described miracle centres as unacceptable.
He said NAPPS was working with the state Ministry of Education to close substandard schools and strengthen compliance.