The Nigerian Government has warned parents, teachers, school proprietors, principals, invigilators and students against examination malpractice, saying the practice undermines the credibility of the country’s education system.
The warning was issued by the Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, during a meeting with the National Association of Proprietors of Private Schools and other stakeholders in the education sector.
In a statement on Thursday by Ikharo Attah, Special Adviser on Media and Communications to the minister, Alausa said the government was introducing measures to strengthen examination integrity.
The minister said the measures were in line with President Bola Tinubu’s commitment to restoring standards and repositioning the education sector.
According to Alausa, examination malpractice has become deeply entrenched and has created an unfair environment for students who prepare honestly for their examinations.
He said the practice not only distorts examination results but also places hardworking students at a disadvantage and weakens public confidence in qualifications awarded through the nation’s education system.
Alausa stressed that tackling examination malpractice required collective responsibility, noting that students were not the only participants in the practice.
He urged parents, teachers, proprietors, principals, invigilators and other stakeholders to comply with examination rules, provide conducive learning environments and discourage practices that give candidates unfair access to examination materials.
The minister said the Nigerian Government was strengthening examination administration to make public examinations more secure and ensure that results accurately reflected students’ knowledge and abilities.
He added that the measures formed part of the wider education reforms of the Tinubu administration aimed at improving standards, strengthening accountability and rebuilding confidence in the country’s assessment system.
Meanwhile, the Minister of State for Education, Suwaiba Ahmad, urged private school proprietors and other education stakeholders to support the reforms.
Ahmad acknowledged that tighter examination controls could initially expose gaps in some students’ actual academic preparation.
She explained that some students who perform exceptionally well in internal examinations may have become accustomed to accessing leaked questions before external examinations.
According to her, such students could struggle when the avenues for accessing examination materials were blocked because they had not developed adequate preparation habits.
The minister said the introduction of serialised examination questions would make it more difficult for candidates to rely on leaked materials and encourage them to prepare genuinely for examinations.
Ahmad also urged schools to complete their curricula on schedule and encourage students to study consistently.
She assured private education stakeholders that the Ministry of Education would continue to engage and support them as the reforms were implemented.
She said the ultimate objective was to ensure that examination results served as a credible reflection of students’ knowledge, skills and abilities.