Now That Parents, Schools Aid Cheating In Examinations

It is alarming that cases of examination malpractice in primary and secondary schools in the country have been on the rise. Even more distressing is the fact that parents and school authorities are now involved. ADEREMI OGUNDARE examines the situation and what can be done to stem the tide.

A few weeks ago, there was a reported incident where a mother went to threaten a teacher in a school for seizing her child’s phone which contained the answers to the external examination that the boy was supposed to write that day.  The teacher was later beaten mercilessly by the boy’s elder brother and his friends because he refused to allow the boy cheat during the examination.

This incident is indicative of the level of decadence found in the education sector of this country. Many parents and some school owners do not see anything wrong in examination malpractices anymore. It has now become the order of the day in both private and public secondary schools, and even higher institutions, to aid students in the exam halls.

The pressure to cheat

Speaking on examination malpractice, a teacher based in the Surulere area of Lagos, Jason Rufus, noted that fear and self-doubt could make children to cheat during examinations.

Clement, a pupil in Akure, Ondo State, who admitted to exchanging answer sheets, taking pieces of paper with answers written on them, smuggling textbooks into the exam hall and even copying from a seatmate, said he did it because he was afraid of being stigmatised.

“I was a very good boy in primary school. I didn’t have the need to cheat. I started feeling the need to cheat in SS2 when I realised that I could not understand the subjects and was too lazy to read. I didn’t want to fail because of the way my friends and family will look at me as if I am unserious. I also didn’t want to feel bad with myself. I didn’t want my parents to be disappointed and say I wasted their money,” he said.

Parents take the lead

Sharing his opinion on examination malpractice, Oladapo Olayemi, the Vice Principal (Academic), Queen’s School Ibadan, noted that many unscrupulous parents go all out to procure leaked questions with answers for their children. Some also induce unscrupulous schools to assist their children in the examination hall. Agents of the school do everything to give candidates access to prepared answers and, in some cases, make arrangements for experts to sit some core papers for high-paying candidates, often referred to as NA (Non Appearance).

While schools are complicit, parents, because they provide funding, have become the major pivot of examination malpractice.

Fadare Opeyemi, a teacher in a public school said, “Some parents intentionally register their wards at centres where there is plan for malpractice. Parents make payment for this. In a certain case, a PTA (Parents Teachers Association) meeting was called on how to aid the students during examination.” 

He suggested that during examinations, CCTV cameras and audio recorders should be installed in the centres.

“Perpetrators of examination malpractices and accomplices should be made to face the penalty,” he added.

Dr Oluwakemi Adejumo, a lecturer, said: “Several parents consider cheating as assistance to their children to achieve their dreams. Cheating is considered normal to several parents because they fail to accept their children’s abilities. Instead of accepting the God-given potentials in them and nurturing them to be self-reliant, they pay exorbitant amounts for examination malpractices.”

“Several schools fail to meet the cognitive, affective and psycho-motive needs of the students so they manipulate results for students to please the parents. These schools arrange for cheating in external examinations so that their students will have good grades to boost their businesses.

“In order to put an end to examination malpractice, parents need to identify the abilities of their children.”

She suggested more solutions: Avoid comparison with other children. Continuous assessment of your children at home to confirm learning process in schools. Assist teachers to perform their tasks. Schools should be designed to be student-focused. Schools should employ qualified teachers with skills to promote effective learning. Counselors should be available in schools to educate parents and students.

Oluwanifemi Olarinde, an education consultant, said: “Most private school owners do it indirectly as they are aware that doing it openly will expose their schools and ruin their reputation.

“First, they would threaten teachers that their students must pass their subjects. So it is more like the teachers are the ones preparing for the exam. Even when teachers complain about the unserious attitude of students, they respond that you should do your best since the parents have paid. So you find teachers doing everything, including exam malpractice, to make them pass.

“Second, parents who know that their children are not studying for exam will meet with school management on what to do for the children to pass. This meeting isn’t necessary, but because they want their children to pass at all costs, they put pressure on school owners and not on their children.

“A personal experience I had was when my students were writing my subjects and I was called to be in the hall with them. I declined because that in a way is exam malpractice. I was summoned, given a verbal and written query on why I was not in the hall with my students. Even the principal was comparing me with other teachers that entered the exam hall to help the students. She said I was too proud and I don’t love my students. Those words hit me and broke me as teacher and students were seeing me as a bad and irresponsible teacher. That didn’t last though because my students had good grades in the two subjects, but it wasn’t easy before the results came out.”

How to solve exam malpractices

Olubunmi Adewakun, an education consultant and trainer who is an advocate for ethical education and child development said, “Cheating in examinations has become a festering sore in Nigeria’s educational system. Like a virus, it has eaten deep into the fabric of academic integrity, undermining the value of education and producing graduates who lack the competence to thrive beyond the classroom.

“At the heart of this growing menace are two major stakeholders—schools and parents—who, knowingly or unknowingly, contribute to the normalisation of examination malpractice. While their methods may differ, the result is the same: a compromised educational system.”

She added that many schools suffer from weak examination monitoring systems. Teachers and invigilators are sometimes complicit, turning a blind eye—or even actively aiding students who cheat. In some cases, the laxity is unintentional, a result of inadequate training or poor oversight mechanisms.

Some schools feel pressured by society to produce high grades to maintain their reputation. The fear of being labeled as ‘underperforming’ drives school leaders and teachers to facilitate cheating just to appear competitive in the eyes of parents and the public.

Adewakun stated that parents have been known to bribe school authorities, invigilators, or external examiners to secure favorable outcomes for their children. In such cases, academic success is bought, not earned, setting a dangerous precedent.

She then added that both schools and parents must take deliberate, corrective action to combat examination malpractice by strengthening exam integrity in schools. Her suggestion includes: Strengthening exam integrity in schools. Schools must implement strict monitoring and supervision during exams. Training invigilators and teachers on ethical standards is crucial. Deploying surveillance technologies where possible can help deter malpractice. School owners should improve teaching and learning conditions. Governments and school owners should invest in teacher training, reduce class sizes, and provide sufficient learning materials.

Oluwanifemi also gave suggestions on how to eradicate examination malpractice: “Exam bodies should send competent and impartial supervisors to schools. Schools caught aiding students in exam should be locked up for a period of time; this will serve as a lesson to other school owners.

“Parents should stop pressurizing schools. If an SS3 student is really ready for his external exams, the parents should know. They can employ teachers privately to help their children at home to prepare for these examinations.

“School owners should stop getting involved in exam malpractice.  A subject teacher doesn’t have any business in the hall while her paper is being written. All preparations and corrections should be done before the exam day. Teachers should do their work well in teaching and imparting knowledge in their students.

“Students should be counseled on the dangers of exam malpractice.”

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