Dragnet Advocates e-testing To Combat Malpractice.

As stakeholders continue to seek for solutions to address the challenge of examination malpractice and and test administration in the country, Dragnet Solutions Limited, a computer-based testing and talent management firm, has recommended the removal of all forms of human elements and intervention in examination processes through the deployment of technology.

Analysing the body of data that his company gathered over the last five years from conducting employment tests for multi-national companies both in Nigeria and the United kingdom (UK), the managing director of the firm, Mr. Robert Ikazobor, revealed that the competence gap between an average Nigerian graduate and a UK trained equivalent is 17 per cent.

According to him, the introduction of technology in scholarship administration and matriculation test management in the country would entrench a new culture where examinations would be based purely on merit.

He said: “We want to bring back the culture of meritocracy. It doesn’t matter whether you are in one village. You can sit for examination anywhere in the country and be responsible for the result you get.
Dragnet’s way is neat, orderly and you can be assured of the integrity of the results at the end of the day.”

He contented that if Nigeria must attain vision 2020 national economic projection, concerted efforts must be made to improve the human capacity competence of Nigerian graduates.

He said: “Since November 2007, Dragnet Solutions Limited has been involved in testing Nigerian graduate applicants. The data so far gathered offer the nation an insight into the quality of our graduate human capital. The tests measure reasoning ability in the work place. In particular, the tests are basic aptitude test concerned with verbal reasoning, numerical reasoning and abstract reasoning for the work place. One of the insights that the data analysis shows is that the average quality of human capital being produced in Nigeria is 17 per cent lower than that of UK.

“When you see the performance of our graduates compared to other countries, it is disheartening. And based on complaints from the industry, we observe that a lot of our undergraduates still needs help, so on our part, we intend to set up career clubs in tertiary institutions and embark on campus talent search.”

Condemning a situation where students and graduates are subjected to multiple examinations, describing the practice as unfortunate.

culled from Guardian Newspaper