OPINION: Fining or Jailing a Cheating Exam Candidate Not a Stringent Measure

I recently read on the media on the dangling axe waiting to strike on cheating candidates in exam hall. My curiosity got the better of me when I was skimming through the page. Being a social critic, I honoured it at a good faith but was exasperated by the discovery of many defects.

The defect which I see as favouring the haves and punishing the have-nots. Yes, the haves households will use all their wealth to get off the hook when caught while the impoverished households will face the full extent of the law as they cannot afford to pay the fine.

This is no way trying to promote exam malpractice, but I am of the opinion that the exam bodies need to implement stringent measures that would make exam malpractice difficult instead of arresting or fining cheating candidates when the offence has been committed. The strategy seems hopelessly inadequate to solve a problem of this magnitude.

Exam malpractice in Nigeria holds because some criminal-minded invigilators that police exam are not always immune to bribery. So, why must the candidates be the one to face the full extent of the law? It takes two to tango. If they were no buyers they will be no sellers. This principle is not only limited to Economics. It cuts across all human activities.

True genuine change will only come when stringent measures are applied and it is as I said earlier. Which is implementing stringent measures that will make exam malpractice difficult.

In short, the proper antidote to educational malpractice is to insist on fidelity on educational mission.

It is high time we engaged the service of computer technology to conduct our exams. This is no doubt the best way to curb exam malpractices. I know that we are still some steps behind but at least Closed Circuit Television Cameras in our exam hall will bring malpractice to the barest minimum. Imagine you are being viewed, you will do all you can to avoid falling victim.

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