In the last couple of weeks, the Central Board of Secondary Examination (CBSE) paper leak has been one of the biggest media stories. The CBSE is arguably India’s most prestigious national board of secondary education with over 20 lakhs students appearing for the 10th and 12th standard exams. Naturally, a leak in the papers is a huge embarrassment. Moreover, it severely damages the credibility of the Board. The success of an education system depends upon the effectiveness of its examination system as it is a fundamental component of teaching and learning process.
Examinations are arranged to evaluate the academic achievement of students and to know whether they have achieved a standard of academic learning and knowledge. They are considered the basis for promotion to higher classes, a source of motivation for learners for better studies, a basis for prediction about students’ future education and job aptitudes. Furthermore, examination serves as a source for the assessment of students’ achievement level and assists the teachers to evaluate the effectiveness of their teaching and learning methods for future improvement.
Examination malpractices is defined as deliberate acts of wrong doing contrary to the rules of examinations designed to give a candidate an unfair advantage frequently to place a candidate at a disadvantage. Examination malpractices are illegal acts committed by students singlehandedly, or in collaboration with others such as fellow students, parents, teachers, supervisors, invigilators and anybody or group of people before or after examinations in order to obtain undeserved marks or grades.
The rampant occurrence of examination malpractice has become an issue of growing importance and concern in the global educational systems. The rising wave of examination malpractice among the youths today is posing a big challenge to our present contemporary society. Examination, many observe, is no longer a true test of one’s ability. Most of the students are no longer serious with their studies because they believe solely in indulging in examination malpractice which to them is a shortcut to success. Nowadays, students refer to examination malpractice as “brain support” which implies it is an act to aid one’s memory in examinations.
Examination malpractices have a paralysing effect on the developing nation. Many efforts have been put forward by different governments, school authorities and individuals to eradicate this malady but this in most instances have proved abortive. Since examination is aimed at evaluating each candidate’s merit and predicting subsequent performance, it therefore generates competition among candidates resulting in examination malpractice in some instances. The incidences of examination malpractice are common everywhere and every examination season witnesses the new and ingenious ways of cheating.
The term examination malpractice is very broad in scope; for instance it includes every illegal act related to examinations that may occur before, during and after examinations such as what happens during the preparation stage, custody, administration, marking and releasing of examination results. It is unfortunate that various forms of measures taken to discourage, prevent, or even stop examination malpractice in the country have not yielded the expected results. The reason being adequate proactive measures are not in place to produce well disciplined, prepared and committed pupils and students to stand against the temptation of malpractice. It was found that private and government schools both are equally prone to examination malpractices but rural schools are more vulnerable to examination malpractices than urban schools. Examinations are very delicate almost everywhere and issues to do with them must be carefully thought of, in this regard, measures have to be put in place at every stage to ensure examinations are prepared, distributed and conducted in an excellent and diligent manner.
Post examination malpractices or irregularities are considered by the perpetrators to be the safest, surest and most reliable form of malpractices that are capable of achieving desired objectives. The agents commonly used here are supervisors, custodians, examiners, computer operators, typists, subject officers, and office clerks, etc. With the advancement of technology it becomes very easy to track the location of answer books and improve the grades of students.
Mass cheating is another form of examination malpractice that takes place during examinations. This could involve a teacher dictating solutions to questions, writing on the chalkboard for candidates to copy or use of external body to import material that could be distributed to the candidates. This could be detected if all the candidates in a particular centre make the same mistake, for example spelling mistake. This is a pointer to the fact that there is mass cheating in that centre or school.
PERPETRATORS OF EXAMINATION MALPRACTICE
Students: The primary culprits in this menace are the students themselves. Students are no longer hardworking, they have little or no interest in studying and lack concentration during studies, have poor study habits and are generally restless, lazy, and easily distracted by activities in the environment. Irregular attendance of students to lectures is one major cause of exam malpractice.
Teachers: Often times, shamefully, some teachers who are supposed to be custodians of academic honesty and discipline, are perpetrators of examination malpractices in schools. Some shameless teachers help students during examination by bringing into examination rooms worked answers to the test items and writing the answers on the boards.
Parents and guardians: The parents become syndicates in perpetuating examination malpractice because they are the sole financiers of some of the malpractice activities. They provide monies for their children for payment to different persons and agents of examination malpractice. Often times, some parents go outright to negotiate with officials at examination centres to look the other way and allow their kids to cheat in examination halls, or help in sending unauthorised material to them.
School Administrators: Most school administrators in private, government and mission schools such as headmasters/ headmistress, principals often times are shamefully involved in examination malpractice to maintain “100% pass” in public examinations.
Law Enforcement Agents: The law enforcement agents such as the police personnel often drafted to maintain discipline, keep rules and regulations, are often greatly involved in examination malpractice. They do this by collecting large sums of money from students and school authorities to allow students to cheat during examinations.
CAUSES OF EXAMINATION MALPRACTICE
- Societal preference for degree/diploma;
- Lack of positive self-concept;
- Lack of good study habits and uncompleted syllabus;
- Inadequate preparation for examination;
- Poor invigilation from exam supervisor;
- Laziness to work hard and wrong choice of subjects of study/career;
- Lack of appropriate punishment measures for students involved in examination malpractice;
- Inadequate teaching staff and poor teaching-learning environment;
- Parental influence to choose career;
- With the present economic hardship and unfavourable working conditions in some schools, some teachers easily succumb to collection of money from students to aid them in the examination;
- Qualifications are the major parameters being used for employment. Students who are academically weak but who desire good jobs on graduation easily resort to examination malpractice; and
- The enabling environment for serious academics in the country is lacking. With dilapidated infrastructures, dearth of instructional material and lack of parental support, it becomes inevitable that these factors have all leagued to contribute to the decay in the educational system.
EFFECTS OF EXAMINATION MALPRACTICE
- Discourages students from studying hard;
- Leads to denial of admission to deserving students;
- Leads to overall reduction in quality of education and lowers educational standard;
- Reduces healthy competition among examinees;
- Leads to ineffective study habit among students;
- Endangers the future of the society;
- The corruption, if not contained, is carried forward by the student into his/her future. The society suffers because the student continues to cheat in all other endeavours of life; and
- Examination malpractice will make the system produce incompetent graduates like doctors, lawyers, engineers, teachers, etc., who would be liabilities to the society rather than assets.
TECHNIQUES OF CURBING EXAMINATION MALPRACTICE
- Determination to achieve excellence through hard work:
Personal determination arising from religious, educational and cultural convictions to desist from examination fraud is one of the pragmatic strides towards curbing the menace. A principled candidate is able to snub examination malpractice while writing an examination, even if he has the chance to do so or in the absence of an invigilator.
- Adequate funding of the education sector:
Funding of the educator sector should be improved upon so that adequate infrastructural facilities can be provided for schools and colleges. This will help avoid overcrowding which can promote examination malpractice.
- Blacklisting of schools/colleges known for examination malpractices:
School and colleges which involve in examination malpractices are blacklisted with heavy penalties. This technique will surely discourage the institutes sponsoring exam malpractices. The termination of appointment of exam officials and teachers involved in perpetrating examination malpractices should be in force to serve as a deterrent to others.
- Use of Technology:
The students should be thoroughly searched before entering the hall. Apart from photographs, fingerprints on exam hall ticket should be used for identification as no two persons could have the same fingerprint. Installation of a video surveillance and monitoring system that will provide easy access for both live and archived images during and after examination. Jammers (signal jamming devices) may be installed to prevent radio equipment from receiving and transmitting signals relevant to their functions. Such jammers can be programmed to be strong enough to block mobile phone signals.
- Reduction of undue emphasis on certificates:
Too much emphasis on certificate acquisition does not allow higher education to thrive. Emphasis should be placed on acquisition of knowledge, skills and competence more than certificates.
- Training in Values of Education:
Vigorous campaigns and seminars should be made to restore values of honesty, dedication to duty and study, hard work and perseverance among students.
- Orientation of Parents:
Parents-teachers association meetings can be used to enlighten parents on the consequences of examination malpractice and the children’s career choices. Parents and teachers should try on their part to guide and encourage their students to study hard and desist from any form of examination malpractice. In addition, parents who are caught aiding and abetting examination malpractice should be arrested and the law should be allowed to take its full course. Parents should set good examples for their children. They should not be seen as champions of examination malpractice but as role models.
- Examination Counselling Programmes:
The school counsellor has vital roles to play in curbing examination malpractice. Individual and group counselling sessions for students should be conducted.
- Use of Computer Based Tests and Biometric Verification:
Use of computer based tests in writing some examinations are recommended as helpful in curbing examination fraud. Also, the use of biometrics verification to identify examination candidates is also a plausible technique of reducing examination malpractices.
- Government Role:
Governments at all levels should provide conducive teaching and learning environment which would include proper infrastructure and relevant curriculum materials. Government should also make sure that all relevant laws dealing with examination malpractice are reviewed and made more effective to deal with offenders.
Teachers in particular who prepare children for examination and their future and who are invigilators, most of the times have the key to curbing this menace. Until teachers rise up with the support of school administrators/proprietors and parents against examination malpractice, this monster will continue to loom in our midst, destroy our fabric gradually and violently consume us ultimately. High quality inputs are likely to enhance knowledge and skill acquisition. The first line of defence is to stimulate an environment where cheating is not acceptable. Such environments help students resist peer pressure to cheat.
Our examination system hardly measures important human qualities like persistence, curiosity, courage, leadership, creativity, compassion and empathy needed in this increasingly complex world. Relevance of a curriculum to the needs of the society should be considered when it is being formulated. In policy formulation, professional educators and educational administrators should be consulted. The government should take to professional advice. Finally, it is recommended that all personnel in education system should undergo courses in examination administration. In conclusion, examination malpractice has come to be a monster among us and poses a very serious threat to educational standards. It should be the concern of everyone and all hands must join together to curb this menace.