Menace of examination malpractice
Examination malpractices and manipulations have infested the entire educational ladder from basic schools to tertiary institutions.
As early as primary school and junior high school, parents, teachers, pupils, examiners and managers of examinations engage in manipulative examinations organisation and administration that get formalised in the senior high schools to the seemingly tacit anticipation of society.
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This bad practice continues to the tertiary institutions, where students cheat and compromise in examinations at the level where they are supposed to be shaping themselves into citizens.
Even more worrying is the fact that examination malpractices are now happening in tests and examinations conducted for selection into professional bodies and associations.
Enablers
The causes of examination malpractices can be traced to institutions that manage and administer examinations.
Once people who are beneficiaries of a bad and manipulated system are in charge and have something to do with examination management activities, they will freely permit examination wrongdoings to happen because that was how they went through and will simply not be the stopper and/or hindrance to a practice they patronised and rode on to be where they find themselves.
If all those responsible for examination activities exhibit ethical and responsible behaviours, examination malpractice will not be an issue. All these are happening because people have the inordinate conviction that they can corrupt their way to success and stardom through wrongdoing, to the extent that patrons of examination malpractice are ready to offer and/or receive financial and other favours as consideration for compromising examinations at all levels of the educational structure in the country.
Effects
Examination malfeasance breeds unethical, indisciplined, irresponsible and morally corrupt people in society.
It conditions and shapes the mind and perceptions of people that it is part of social happenings and indeed, the norm for people to find ways and means to cheat and get marks and grades they do not deserve.
How will our society and its institutions not be poorly managed, corrupted and selfishly exploited if managed by people who manipulated their way into positions of responsibility and trust?
People who patronise and utilise unethical means during their formation are the cause of the bad governance system and maladministration bedevilling the country.
The youth are cultured to think and believe that everything is easy, accessible, free to have at will and must be got by all means and at all cost.
Remedy
Those who engage in examination malpractices do not even want to accept sanctions.
There is dividend in having a credible test administration in our educational institutions as it leads to disciplined, ethical and hardworking people who value and cherish the outcome and worth of their personal efforts and toils.
It creates patriotic citizens to achieve collective goals and aspirations. The earlier stakeholders involved in examinations put a stop to malpractices and collaborate for credible examinations, the better it would be for the country.
The writer is with the Registrar’s Department, KNUST, Kumasi. E-mail: [email protected]