By Sebastine Chukwuebuka Okafor
Examination malpractice is a serious threat to the growth of university education across Nigeria.
It can be defined in many ways. It means any dishonest act that affects the fairness and honesty of the examination process. It includes any illegal or wrong action taken before, during, or after an exam to get higher marks. It also means breaking exam rules to gain an unfair advantage or any kind of cheating or dishonest behaviour by a student during an exam.
This dishonest act weakens the academic standards that schools are expected to protect. It damages the very foundation of our education system.
As a lecturer and former Faculty Examination Marshal in one of the best universities in Nigeria, I have seen how examination malpractice affects students and the reputation of the school they come from. This issue must be dealt with quickly before it becomes normal and spreads a habit of dishonesty that will destroy the value of education across the country.
It is sad that both students and staff in many of our higher institutions do not see how serious this issue is. This is clear from the way people ignore it or delay actions that could stop it. Based on close observation, the causes of examination malpractice in Nigeria’s higher institutions can be grouped into three major areas: student-related reasons, problems within the institutions, and issues from society.
Student-related reasons include pressure to succeed, fear of failure, poor study habits, and pressure from friends — all these can lead students into cheating.
Institutional problems include poor teaching, weak monitoring, bad exam seating plans, too much importance placed on exams, and easy access to materials used for cheating. These show that better teaching and exam support are needed.
Societal issues include corrupt lecturers and staff, the way cheating is accepted in society, and soft punishments for those who cheat. These make students feel they can cheat and get away with it.
These problems exist in many schools and call for a wide and united effort to stop examination malpractice.
To fix this problem, university leaders and managers of other higher institutions in Nigeria need to take strong and serious steps. They must put in place a number of plans that deal with the real causes of malpractice — like what is done in some private universities such as Godfrey Okoye University, Enugu.
Some people think the problem has become normal and cannot be solved. But should we accept that? The answer is no. There are clear solutions, and they can be divided into four groups: prevention, education, punishment, and changes to the system.
Prevention includes proper monitoring by lecturers from other departments, mixing students from different courses during exams to make cheating harder, and using technology such as internet blockers, AI tools to catch cheating, and fingerprint systems to confirm student identity and stop impersonation.
Education will focus on teaching students why cheating is bad, training older lecturers on how to detect new cheating methods, and keeping a photo record of students in each exam, like what is used in the Mass Communication Department at Enugu State University of Science and Technology (ESUT). Also, the 75% attendance rule should be fully enforced, and lecturers who follow this rule should be given support. This will help students stay more prepared and disciplined before any exam.
Punishment should include quick action and fair penalties for those who cheat, with parents also getting involved to encourage better conduct. Students should be punished not just for cheating, but also for helping others to cheat. This will reduce the number of people trying to cheat during exams. When students know that even sitting close to someone who is cheating can lead to trouble, they will be more careful.
System changes should focus on regular assessments during the semester, not just final exams. Exams should test practical knowledge, not only memory. Lecturers should also be in charge of student attendance and exam quality. Schools should work with security agencies or create strong teams to watch over exams and catch those who break the rules, and make sure their cases are reported to the right authorities.
These actions will do more than stop cheating. They will help build good values, raise the quality of learning, and make students more responsible in our schools.
Examination malpractice is a big problem that needs urgent attention from school authorities, lecturers, students, and all who care about education.
The steps listed here provide a strong way to deal with this challenge. They will help bring honesty back to academics and protect the name of Nigerian universities.
We must act now to stop examination malpractice and improve the standard of education — for the good of our students, our schools, and our country.