Kwara State Government Urges Principals, Parents To Shun Examination Fraud

The Kwara State Government, on Friday, warned school authorities that it will no longer condone examination malpractice in the state, announcing that any administrators found wanting would face the wrath of the law.

This is coming few days ahead of the commencement of the 2020 West African School Certificate Examination (WAEC) scheduled for later this month.

The state Commissioner for Education and Human Capital Development, Hajia Ahmed Fatimah Bisola, made this disclosure while meeting with the state chapter of All Nigerian Confederation of Principals of Secondary Schools (ANCOPSS), National Association of Proprietors of Private Schools at St Anthony Secondary school, Ilorin.

“Let me use this medium to warn you that the State government will not hesitate to deal with any Principal or School found wanting on his duties during the forthcoming WAEC/NECO examinations. As we all know, the West African School Certificate examination will start on 17th August 2020.”

She furthered that if any measures have been marshalled to perpetrate fraud during the coming examinations, the ideas should be forgone as secret invigilators and intelligence officers have been lined to ensure compliance.

In addition to this, she stated that apart from swapping principals to different schools, anti-corruption agencies will be moving round to arrest and prosecute anybody aiding and abetting examination malpractices in the forthcoming examination

“The State Government will not fold its arms to allow what happened last year to repeat itself. Over Thirty million in penalties paid following WAEC’s blacklists of 165 Schools over rampant examination malpractices is still afresh in our memory,” she said.

While urging principals and private school owners not to ruin their career and the hard-earned goodwill of their respective schools, she implored them to ensure that both parents and students are advised on the need to abide by the rules and regulations that guide the examination.

“You should all go back and hand down my warning to all invigilators, parents and students. If any amount has been paid for such examination malpractice services, you should return it before it is too late,” she urged.

In 2019, WAEC blacklisted about 165 schools in Kwara State for their alleged involvement in examination malpractices. The schools were not only fined N250,000 each but were also prohibited from conducting examinations for the next two years.

In that regard, the state government had to pay N30.5 million to get the 165 public schools recognised by WAEC and registered again. Out of the affected schools, 122 are public secondary schools and 43 are private schools.

In Nigeria, examination malpractice is not only rampant but grossly celebrated as specialised centres litter the country to perpetuate the fraud. Last year, WAEC’s Head of Nigeria National Office, Mr Olu Adenipekun, disclosed that, of the 1,590,173 candidates that sat for the 2019 West African Senior School Certificate Examination for School Candidates in Nigeria, 180,205 candidates, representing 11.33 per cent, had their result withheld for various reported cases of examination malpractice.

An investigation by the ICIR exposed how grades were bought in a Lagos school during the last WAEC and JAMB examinations. 

In the report, the reporter who went undercover under a pseudonym – Grace Adedigba – enrolled at Bachel Academy in Egbeda area of Lagos State, for both WASSCE and JAMB examination in order to spotlight evidence of extortion, bribery and examination fraud.