The Permanent Secretary, Lagos State Ministry of Education, Mrs Adebunmi Adekanye, has advised the pupils against using examination malpractice as shortcuts, describing it as a long route to success.
Speaking at an examination malpractice awareness workshop for public secondary school pupils held at the Lagos State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) Hall Tuesday last week, Mrs Adekanye said: “You do not achieve success through shortcuts. In fact short cuts are the longest routes to success. So work hard and pray hard.”
In her speech, the Director, Policy, Planning Research and Statistics, Mrs Azeezat Grillo, said combating examination malpractice required collaboration of all stakeholders in the education sector.
“While Lagos State Government is putting in place a workshop like this through the Ministry of Education to sensitize stakeholders on the danger and effect of Examination Malpractice in our society, it is expected of other stakeholders and most importantly everyone present at this workshop to collaborate with the State Government by not only spreading the news of the menace of Examination Malpractice but also reporting cases of it as well to the appropriate authorities.,” she said.
Officials of the West African Examinations Council (WAEC), National Examinations Council (NECO) and the Lagos State Examination Board discussed various topics under the theme: “The Effects and Solutions to Examination Malpractice in the Society”.
Speaking on the consequences of examination malpractice, Director /Registrar, Lagos State Examinations Board, Dr Amudaniyu Hassan, said it inspires laziness, wrongdoing and reduces integrity of certificates people bear.
He said: “Examination Malpractice discourages hard work on the part of students. Many times, the corrupt ones by their deeds pull the hardworking students to abandon their studies and join them to depend on quack arrangements that rarely fail.”
On his part, speaking on the “Effects and Solutions of Examination Malpractice,” Mr Agboola Kolapo of NECO listed 17 ways by which candidates could perpetrate examination malpractice including leakages, copying, double scripts, impersonation, collusion and bringing in foreign materials into the hall.
In his presentation on “Examination Ethics”, Deputy Registrar/Zonal Coordinator, WAEC, Ikeja, Mr Idowu Ojo said examination malpractice could only be checked if stakeholders collaborate.
“No government, agency, examining body, individual or group of individuals can eradicate examination malpractice from the society. There is therefore the need for public enlightenment on the evil effects of examination malpractice. Furthermore, only a synergy among all concerned- students, parents, school administrators, examining bodies and the entire society at large could guarantee malpractice-free examinations,” he said.
Public examinations in the country are being plagued by malpractices of various hues. In this report, Shehu Olayinka goes behind the headlines to expose the tactics of the fraudsters
ON April 23, 2018, a certain Mrs Bamidele Olateju, on her Facebook page wrote: “Let’s shutdown these websites”. The websites she was referring to were those which had allegedly posted on their sites questions and answers to the then ongoing West Africa Examinations Council School Certificate Exams (WASCE).
The websites include: Naijaclass.com, Examcrown.com, Exponet.com, examsort.com, Gurus.com, examloaded.com. However, further scouring of other websites by our reporter revealed that these were not the only culpable ones. Others include examwide.com, easyrunz.com, waecexpo.com, examclass.net, realbase.net, guruswapaz.com, codedclass.com, Jambito.com.
The mode of operation is not restricted to the social media platform alone. They use mobile phone text message, too.
In carrying out their activities, they use both payments through banks or exchange of recharge cards. For instance, to get ‘expo’ on nine subjects, interested students are told what to do. Those who want to receive the ‘expo’ by SMS are charged N6500, whilst Whatsapp is N5000 and to get a password link to log into the website open-ended is N3500, depending on the websites.
Patrons of Examcrown are charged N800 per subject for SMS/Direct. Payments are made through purchase of recharge cards. English Language, Mathematics, Further Maths go for N1000, while practicals are N600per subject.
Grid screenshots charges charged to patrons
In fact, Examcrown has mastered the techniques of marketing so as to get the attention of interested students. This is done through testimonies of success stories from successful candidates. These are principally done to sway students to enrol.
On all these websites mobile numbers are listed with instructions on how to contact them.
On a first visit to Examcrown website, visitors are met with a homepage notifying them of what to expect on the website: JAMB EXPO RUNZ, WAEC EXPO RUNZ, NECO EXPO RUNS, WAEC GCE RUNZ. This is followed by a phone number +2347032581573, for calls and messages.
Using the social media
Their preferred social media platform is Whatsapp. After perusing through some websites, it was discovered that Examcrown and Naijaclass (9jaclass) have the highest volume of traffic and activities than the others.
On April 24, when Examcrown was contacted on Whatsapp by the reporter for a chat, a terse response of “no time to talk, what do you want?” was all he got.
Preferred social media platform is Whatsapp
The reporter responded that he needed answers for NECO 2018 exam. He immediately got a response detailing prices, processes and how to apply. The reporter didn’t respond. On May13, perhaps after noticing the silence from the reporter’s end during the WAEC exam and sensing the reporter’s distrust, a boastful message was sent to him stating that the operators of the ring have stronger connections with NECO than WAEC!
The Whatsapp message reads, “The NECO exam answers will come earlier than WAEC. We have more people in NECO than WAEC and answers will be sent three to four hours before the start of NECO while WAEC is between one or two hours late on exam days, that won’t be repeated in NECO, we will be fast in sending our answers.”
It continued, “Our NECO runz (answers) is going to be the best. We have made contacts with our NECO officials for the question papers to be delivered on time, so as to make sure everything works perfectly.”
On May 25, Exacrown sent the specimens for Biology, Agric, Chemistry, Physics, and Animal husbandry Practicals.
True to their word, Theory and Objective questions for Government subject exam of May 31, was sent. Examcrown, sent the front page cover, with page 12 and 14 to the undercover reporter at 1:00pm, notifying him of having gotten the question and promising to send answers shortly. The paper was billed to start at 2:30pm – 4:40pm, according to the NECO timetable.
Grid Screenshots of leaked NECO questions
The front page cover of the Physics Practical to be held on June 5 at 10:00am was sent at 1:00am, which is nine hours before the examination began!
In the same vein, the front page of NECO Economics, which was meant to start at 2:30pm and end at 5:30pm was sent to the undercover reporter at 1:34am, a clear 14 hours before the examination!!
Chemistry Practical which was to be held on June 6 by 10:00am and end at 6:33am, was made available three hours 27 minutes before the start of the exam. This was followed by page 7, 6:35am, page 2 at 6:37am, page 3 at 6:43am and page 6 by 6:41am after sending the front cover, also with solved question answers snapped and sent at 8:24am.
Grid Screenshots of leaked NECO questions
Also another website operator observed and engaged was 9jaclass, which makes use of a Whatsapp business account to communicate with interested students.
Investigation of Naijaclass using Google map, discovered that it’s based around Gwarinpa General Hospital, Abuja and using a pseudo name of Avon Nicole to perpetrate the crime.
Its handlers location according to his leaked location is around the vicinity of Gwarinpa General Hospital, Abuja. It is a 13 min (9.7 km) drive via ShehuYar’adua Way to NECO Abuja office, Opposite National Gallery of Arts, Usman Street, District, Utako, Abuja, FCT, Mabushi, Abuja.
Leaked Map of Naijaclass handler location in Abuja. (google)
On June 6, 9jaclass was notified of the reporter’s intention of wanting answers to the English question paper. A one thousand naira recharge card was sent on that date for English Language Essay, Objectives and Test of Orals.
On June 6, Naijaclass at 6:06am replied through a text message to the reporter of the successful completion of his registration, after which on June 7, the answers to the questions were sent in a sequential order.
Further findings revealed that the Sim cards used by the perpetrators are always newly registered and have none of their data online, thereby making it hard for them to be traced.
Grid screenshots from their websites
The NYSC connection
Further findings revealed that some perpetrators have perfected means of connecting with the coordinators of National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) in local government areas. They use the corps members to ease the process of cheating in some of the schools.
According to a corps member who served in Kogi State in 2016, “The heads of schools (private and public) either Headmasters or Headmistress request for candidates, especially science teachers from NYSC. It should be noted that not all of those who request for these teachers use the corps members to perpetrate malpractices, but few are culpable,” he said.
He added, “Though sending of specialised teachers to some schools isn’t illegal, but where I will blame NYSC is the non-supervisory roles of the Service. Truth be told, we were categorically told before leaving camp not to engage in any form of malpractice, but we were not told on how to go about it if we were accosted or who to report to if the situation arose. What they do is to have NYSC members who are good, majorly in science subjects to help candidates out by either writing for them or writing on the board. All these, happening in connivance with the examination invigilators.”
The former corps member continued, “In my school, the proprietor was even writing for some students. You get people coming from different parts of the country to register here, because it is believed that it is a free-cheating area, far and secluded from the eyes of the examination body.
“Who would want to go and invigilate in rural areas without good access roads and security? For registration in these kinds of areas, you pay as high as N40,000. Some schools even go higher and people pay it because it is ‘guaranteed success’.”
Asked how much the school paid NYSC members who engaged in this act, our source said it depends on the school.
“The kind of pay you get depends on your school. Some pay as higher as N50,000 for the whole subjects, whilst some get below that depending on the number of people who register at the school.”
Another ex-corps member who served in one of the northern states also told our reporter of how schools use corps members to perpetrate malpractice.
“During my service year, I was approached to help with Chemistry and Physics. That’s what goes on in these schools, especially those far from the capital. It happens everywhere across the country, because I had friends informing me of the same thing happening in their places of primary assignments.”
Appearance and non-appearance
Another form of examination malpractice which is commonly used is known as “appearance and non-appearance” method.
This method is mostly used by those who are not students of a particular school or those who are in need of a clean sweep of subjects.
An ex-perpetrator of “non-appearance” examination, who sat in three external papers for candidates, said the process is one of the best ways of examination malpractice. The culprit, whose identity is shielded because of fear of victimisation from his former colleagues and employers said, “In Zaria (Kaduna State) where I am based, there is “appearance and non-appearance” arrangements. Each has its own method of payment. In the “appearance” method the candidate sits for the examination, but he does not in case of “non-appearance”. It works as the name connotes. Though, the “non-appearance” comes with a higher charge” he said.
“It goes for as high as N50,000 upwards for non-appearance, while appearance is not up to that amount. There is nothing serious in it, I sat three times for different candidates and it was successful,” he boasted.
“We usually do it in the office of the examination officer, with the full knowledge and approval of the principal in public schools and heads or directors in private schools. This is what is obtain able in almost all schools in Zaria; it is not something that’s hidden.
“During my examination year in 2006, in my hall, I saw someone with text-book who was allowed to write without being questioned, but a text-book was seized from another candidate in the same hall because he had not settled them,” he concluded.
While Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, (JAMB) has in recent years been dealing with cases of examination malpractice, the introduction of Computer Based Test (CBT), has reduced drastically cases of examination malpractice in its exams held across the country.
Examcrown, Naijaclass and other perpetrators boast of also having answers for JAMB questions, though JAMB Registrar, Prof. Is-haq Oloyede in an interview with reporters in Benin City on May 29, 2018, admitted to some attempts by alleged hackers in trying to breach its systems, but refuted claims that the board’s security system was breached and examination leaked.
He said the examination body has put proactive measures in place to arrest anybody attempting to hack into its system.
“I have not found any case of a breakthrough. No matter how clever they think they are, we are ahead of them. One of the rea sons why I led a delegation here myself is to see whether there is any evidence of breakthrough. You can ask any of the security agencies handling the matter, they will tell you.
“We have not been able to find one case of success. What we are treating are attempts. And because we are proactive, that is why we are picking their attempts when people try to break into our BVN. They did not get any questions because our questions were not there. They were able to break into a decoy that we created and they were not able to do anything.”
Prof. Oloyede added: “That is why we keep on promising them that if you can get us one question of ours that is genuine, we will pay you a lot. So, because we believe that we must be proactive that is why we are dealing with any attempt and once an attempt is made, we do not leave it as an attempt, we go after them and when we go after them, we arrest them.”
NECO speaks, WAEC keeps mum
While NECO Head of Information and Public Relations, Alhaji Azeez Sani, admitted to the malaise in a telephone interview with this reporter, all effort to get management of WAEC’s reaction to the story proved abortive.
The reporter visited WAEC office in Yaba on June 25, 2018 to get an official reaction from it, but Demianus Ojijeogu, Head, Public Affairs, WAEC Nigeria, was said not to be around by a lady staff of the examination body.
However, when Ojijeogu was reached through his mobile number the next day, the reporter explained his mission to him. He was asked to send his questions to Ojijeogu’s official email. This was promptly done. But nine days after, he had still not replied to the reporter’s questions (up till the point of this publication).
On his part, the NECO PRO, Azeez said “If you go through the questions published online, you will notice it’s fake. What they normally do is to collate question papers that had been used before and post it on the internet for unsuspecting and gullible students who want easy way to success. We have been able to discover that. The way we dispatch our question papers it will be pretty difficult for anyone to say he or she has it before the commencement of the examination.”
He added that three years ago, some fraudsters hawking fake question papers were arrested by the police, insisting that most of the questions posted online were fake.
Azeez added, “It’s pertinent to note that the rate at which malpractice is being condoned in conducted examinations in Nigeria is alarming, shameful, embarrassing and an act that will surely meet us as nemesis in the future. Presently, companies are complaining of half-baked graduates. Surely they are all candidates and products of exam malpractices conducted in the past.”
While the police on June 1 paraded four arrested suspects for operating illegal websites and defrauding candidates sitting for the WAEC exams, nothing has been heard of the case while other perpetrators still continue with their nefarious business.
CSP Jimoh Moshood, the spokesman of the Police Headquarters, while parading the suspects in Abuja, said the suspects received N70,000; N90,000; N40,000 and N120,000 from people.
The suspects included; Chijoke Modestus, Samuel Onwurah, Patrick Nwodo and Okon Joseph who operated separate syndicates. They were arrested at different locations across the country.
Mooshod had said, “The suspects were arrested by police operatives following a petition from WAEC authorities. They had setup websites soliciting candidates sitting for the examination to pay money into their bank accounts, in exchange for the provision of worked solutions/answers to questions. They usually charged N400, for answers to subjects being taken on any particular day as the examination was in progress.”
He added that “They lured their victims by promising to send worked solutions and answers via WhatsApp at about 20 or 30 minutes after the commencement of each paper in the process they have fraudulently and dubiously dispossessed their unsuspecting victims of their hard-earned money.”
The Federal College of Education, FCE Pankshin, Plateau, has expelled nine students and rusticated one for various examination malpractices, the Provost, Dr Amos Cirfat, has said.
Cirfat disclosed this to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday in Pankshin. He expressed concern over the level of students’ involvement in examination malpractice.
He said that the college had “zero tolerance’’ for any form of examination malpractice. The provost said that some students were caught red-handed engaging in exam malpractice during the semester examinations.
He said that three under graduate students and seven NCE students were involved in the act and were investigated, interrogated and recommended for punishment by the Examination Malpractice Committee.
“The Academic Board at its regular meeting held recently approved the punishments meted to the affected students to serve as deterrent to others.
“The only rusticated student (200 Level) is to miss one academic session (2017/2018) with all his papers cancelled and he is expected to resume in the 2018/2019 academic session to continue with his studies, ’’ he said.
Cirfat said that the management of the college had given students and Academic and Non-Academic Staff the leverage to report any wrong doing or behavioral misconduct to the examination malpractice committee and SERVICOM Office for appropriate action.
He warned both students and staff of the college to uphold high sense of moral discipline toward collective efforts at making the college one of the best in the country.
Ebonyi State Commissioner for Education Prof John Eke has urged practitioners in the sector to tackle examination malpractice and other vices.
He spoke at the launch of the Ebonyi State School Empowerment Project organised by Safe Schools Academy International in collaboration with the state government.
He warned that examination malpractice, which had become rampant with proliferation of miracle centres, if allowed to continue, could be more dangerous than the Boko Haram insurgency.
His words: “Examination malpractice is more destructive than Boko Haram. I say this because Boko Haram can kill, destroy property and go but the destruction wrought by examination malpractice affects the fabric and strata of the society. Its effect is felt in the present generation and generations unborn.”
About 4,000 safe school manuals were distributed, 600 teachers and administrators were trained as Safe School Ambassadors.
National Task Team Leader Ike Onyechere said the programme was aimed at strengthening education and local government system in the state.
He said the trainees, to serve as Safe School Ambassadors, would possess the knowledge of what to do in terms of preventive and mitigation actions if and when emergencies occur. They would also have the capacity to assess the nature of risks and threats peculiar to the school environment.
Onyechere stressed that the programme was apt based on the realities that schools were increasingly becoming targets of terrorism, kidnapping and other violent crimes.
Regional Director of UNESCO Multisectoral Regional Office Mr. Benoit Sossou said the psychological impact of these attacks on children and parents was significant with schools now perceived as danger zones and as such, discouraging school attendance.
As the 2014/2015 Harmattan (1st) Semester Examinations of the University of Ilorin (UNILORIN) draws near (January 26-February 14), students have been warned to desist from examination malpractice.
A circular signed by the Examination Officer, A. A. Yusuf, referred the students to Pages 72 and 73 of the University Academic Programmes (Undergraduate and Sub-Degree 2009-2013) Rules and Regulations, and Pages 19-23 of the Students Handbook of Information and Regulations which detail the code of conduct on examination malpractices.
The portions warn students against using foreign materials in the examination halls, writing on any parts of the body, talking, copying from others, disturbing the examination among other prohibitions. The students were also reminded of the necessary documents that admit them into the examination hall, including: signed course registration forms; University Identity-Card; and receipts of tuition payment.
The Lord Bishop of Lagos West Anglican Diocese Rt. Rev. James Odedeji has urged parents to stop abetting examination malpractice.
He spoke at the inauguration of the Archbishop Abiodun Adetiloye Schools.
He said parents who helped their wards to cheat to pass examinations were as guilty as those who steal public funds.
He said: “Parents should teach their children good example; they should bring them up to understand that cheating is not the way of God. They should not assist them fraudulently to pass exam; rather, they should create the enabling environment that will allow them to study hard to pass their examinations.”
He added that education in Nigeria had received a boost since schools were returned to the missions. “You can see that the schools under our control in Lagos State are doing extremely well. The schools are well taken care of in terms of the provision of teaching facilities and conducive learning environment,” he said.
He further urged the Federal Government to make education accessible to Nigerians through the provision of grants and scholarships to the underprivileged who cannot afford the cost of education.
He maintained that the society would be better if the youth had access to good education that will make them productive. “The youth who roam the streets probably do not have access to good and qualitative education.
“It is the responsibility of the government to cater for its citizen – including the provision of means of education, supporting the missions to train the people morally and otherwise,” he said.
Also speaking, the Chairman Board of Governors of the school, Mrs. Adenike Okudoh, said the maintenance of schools was important.
“Regular maintenance of school facilities which on the long run may even be more than the cost of the buildings must be inculcated.
“The schools environment must be kept clean, damage must be minimised and report areas of attention to the appropriate authorities. The cost of building schools in Nigeria is alarming and it must be continued if we have to keep abreast of global standards,”she explained.
Authorities of the Kwara State Polytechnic, Ilorin, have expelled 29 students for alleged examination malpractice during the last semester examinations for the 2012/2013 academic session.
In a statement in Ilorin, the state capital, the Head, Information and Publication Division, Alhaji Moshood Amuda said: “The Governing Council of the Polytechnic recently approved their expulsion from the school for contravening the matriculation oath they swore to.”
The students are: Haruna Abdullahi, Ajagbe Abosede Sherifat (Architecture Department); Onifade R. Bisola (Urban and Regional Planning Department); Balogun Adeoye Ridwan (Mineral Resources Department); Issa Abdulganeey Olamilekan (Agric Engineering Department); Lameed Olanrewaju Mustapha (Mechanical Engineering Department); Amogbonjaiye Samuel Sunday (Mineral Resources Department); Adedire Abimbola Adekunle (Civil Engineering Department) and Babatunde Oluwashegun Sunday (Department of Electrical Electronics).
The Deputy Registrar, West African Examinations Council, Mrs. Comfort Agwu, has blamed school administrators for examination malpractice.
Agwu told the News Agency of Nigeria in Lagos that examination malpractice would not succeed in schools without their knowledge.
She said the council would not hesitate to clamp down on schools that were involved in examination malpractice.
“We shall close down any school involved in malpractice in any form henceforth.
“That is why we are sparing time to educate school principals and proprietors on the evil effects of the malpractice,’’ she said.
Agwu stressed the need for administrators to educate their students and staff on the ills of malpractice ahead of 2013 May/June SSCE.
The official also urged principals to desist from registering fake candidates or external candidates for WAEC examinations.
She added that some principals register candidates with defaced photographs with the intent of replacing the photographs after the examinations.
“This has caused delay in the issuance of certificates and the council will not tolerate this any longer,’’ she said.
Agwu also urged administrators to stop advertising their schools with the promise of assisting students to get distinctions in WAEC examinations.
“Great men of today did not make distinctions or credits in all the subjects at one sitting; our individual performance should have at least the normal curve.
“Some teachers go as far as writing the answers on the board for candidates in the examination hall while some photocopy answers for them.
“We have our spies in all the zones and there will be no escape route this time around for exam cheats,” the WAEC official said.
