Spread the love
By Stephen Adeleye.
The Kogi Government on Friday warned principals, exam supervisors, teachers and students to desist from engaging in any kind of examination malpractice, saying offenders would be prosecuted.
The Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Mrs Rosemary Osikoya, gave the warning in Lokoja, at stakeholders’ meeting on the conduct of 2018 Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) in the state, to start on July 4.
Osikoya recalled that the WAEC had in their 2017 Annual Report, rated Kogi as the number one (1) state in exam malpractice which was a serious concern to Kogi Government, the Ministry, parents and students alike.
“This development has a negative effect on the quality of certificate held by our students after their studies.
“Subsequently, the Ministry organized a meeting with the principals of the 47 de-recognized schools and the 108 seriously warned schools for examination malpractice to register the State’s displeasure over the ugly trend.
“Secondly, a meeting of all relevant stakeholders in Education was held to discuss the root cause of examination malpractice, and ways to mitigating it in subsequent examinations in the state.
“As a fallout from the meeting, the need to restructure and to standardize examination processes in the State was adopted, hence; restructuring and standardization of the Examination Department.
“Full computerization of the Education Management Information System with the state of the art equipment, procurement of software for all-state examination, standardization of examination Questions & answers, new innovations, among others.
“Full computerization of the Education Management Information System, (EMIS) with the State of the art computers and Equipment, and Printing of Examination Registration form for students.
“Procurement of software for all-State examination for effective management, standardization of examination questions and answers by our (Technical Partners- Cinefores), training of script writers in modern script writing best practices.
“The involvement of Government Printers in printing both sensitive and non-sensitive materials for cost reduction and security of examination materials,” Osikoya said.
According to her, new innovation and changes have also been made such as in all State conducted examinations the students will be allocated a unique Identification Number, and online checking of result by students.
Other include: “Photo book will be produced by schools for easy identfication of each candidate, also at the end of the examination, results will be published on the Ministry’s Web site for easy access to students on the examination portal.
“A hard copy of the results will be sent to each school.”
The commissioner added that the Examination Department staff had also been adequately trained in modern techniques of examination monitoring, stressing that forms and documents had also been designed for strict monitoring.
“The Government will strictly prosecute any Ministry staff or student engaged in examination malpractice; hence, you are all warned to desist from any involvement in any kind of malpractice.
“I thank you for coming, and I hope you will put to practice all that has been deliberated here today for an improved examination process which will produce students with quality and credible result acceptable elsewhere,” Osikoya said.
Mrs Bukola Jamgbadi, a Coordinator Evaluator, Federal Ministry of Education, urged the exam supervisors and principals to be punctual at the examination venue to avoid manipulation of examination processes, and to keep proper record.
“We should maintain our integrity and proof to the management that we are men and women of virtue, honesty and integrity, ” Jamgbadi restated.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that other stakeholders at the meeting includes: National Teachers’ Institute (NTI), National Registration Council (NRC), WAEC, NECO, NABTEB, SUBEB, STETSCOM, TRCN, among others.
Spread the love
