Exam malpractices: Syndicates devise new method of cheating

Hack into websites of exam bodies with ease

Augustine Okezie Abuja

In spite of several spirited measures being put in place by examination bodies in Nigeria to curb examination malpractices, notorious syndicates have now devised certain ingenious methods to cheat and make nonsense of efforts by the regulatory bodies.

Investigation by The Daily Times has further revealed several desperate practices by exam syndicates who assist candidates who are writing such public exams like WAEC, JAMB and NECO to intercept streaming examination questions and answers which they subsequently download through candidate’s handsets.

The findings further revealed that despite the various attempt by government and stakeholders to curb the menace of examination malpractices in Nigeria, students no longer want to study but rely on cheating to pass their exams.

Decades ago, students were always determined to burn their midnight candles for any examination while parents and teachers were ready to provide all available modalities and assistance for them to pass their examinations without worries.

It is sad that parents and teachers are now aiding and assisting in examination malpractice while government institutions are the major players of these destructive vices in Nigeria, consequently, the purpose of setting up various examination bodies is being defeated by these educational manipulators.

A candidate who wrote her May /June NECO examination in one of the centers in Madala, Niger State, though pleading anonymity, said she was assisted by a syndicate in writing the examination. She further disclosed that they were charged specific amount for the exercise because the syndicate told them that money collected from the candidates will be shared amongst the teachers and the school proprietress.

On the nature of assistance they were given, she said they were asked to enter the hall with their smart phones after having paid N2,000 per subject and were then kept in a special hall away from those who could not pay the requisite fee. She further disclosed that the syndicates usually download both the questions and answers directly from the examination body’s website into their handsets for them to copy.

Speaking on the infamous practice, Prof. Ike Onyechere, Founding Chairman, Exam Ethics Marshal International, told The Daily Times that unless Nigeria successfully wins the battle against examination malpractice, the future is bleak.

He said: “Education is the source code and character of a nation, when the source code (fundamental) is corrupt, everything that comes from it will surely be corrupt. Anyone could fall victim of a product of exam malpractices at any given time, it could be a quack doctor, nurse or even an accountant who sorted his or her way out during school.

‘’Education is seriously being challenged by examination malpractice and academic dishonesty.”
He insisted that examination malpractice has gone beyond indiscretion by students but has metamorphosed into serious organised and almost risk free crime, lucrative enterprise which is facilitated by criminals for purpose of making money.

Also in his reaction, Prof. Abubakar Rasheed, the Executive Secretary, National Universities Commission (NUC), said there was a lot of repetition of research work and plagiarism in Nigeria universities which is also a malpractice.
Attempt by The Daily Times to get the reactions of some of the examination bodies on the emerging challenges posed by the syndicates was frustrated by the requests by these bodies for more time to answer the questionnaires.

But JAMB, while admitting experiencing such challenges, said it has established what it called ‘’situation room’’ from where it monitored the operations of its server and the streaming of its examination questions and from where it was able to detect any interference and deal with it promptly.

Abdul Rahaman Akpata of the Information unit of the JAMB who spoke to The Daily Times, also recalled the blacklisting of 48 Computer-Based Test (CBT) centres over their involvement in extortion and organised examination malpractices during the 2017 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).

He also cited the cancellation of the results of 59,698 candidates who sat for the examination, the suspension of another 24 CBT centres for over one year for failing to live up to expectations resulting to serious technical deficiencies, extortion, organised examination malpractices and other damaging infractions,” as measures by JAMB to tackle malpractices in its examination.