A large percentage of final year students in public secondary schools in Nigeria now write the Senior School Certificate Examination conducted by the the West African Examination Council and the examination by the National Examination Council in private schools, our investigation has revealed.
Inspite of the fact that many state governments pay the fees for the candidates to write the examination every year, many parents still prefer to pay for their children to sit for the SSCE and NECO examinations in private schools.
Our correspondent gathered that while students, who sit for the examinations in public schools pay registration fee of between N11,850 and N12,000, the private schools charge between N50,000 and N80,000 for the same examinations. Some schools even charge higher.
It was also learnt that the students prefer private schools because of the fear of failing the examinations due to the strict supervision in public schools.
It was also gathered that there are different classes of registration in most of the centres run by the private schools. The A-Class, it was learnt, is meant for students who desire distinction in the examinations, which the centre managers would have assured them of having.
According to a former beneficiary, “Some classes are for those who will not be available at the centres and the examinations will be written for them, while there is a general class for all those who will pass with at least five credits with the assurance of passing Mathematics and English. The class you choose to sit determines your results.”
A concerned parent, Mr. Adeogun Oluwakayode, however, said this unhealthy development had the capability to destroy virtually all the sectors of the society and the economy.
“Many of us have written and warned against the danger of the act, a lot of campaigns have been launched against the scourge, yet no positive response,” he said.
Oluwakayode said government and concerned Nigerians should focus more on the conduct of examinations, instead of dissipating energy on school approval that enhances malpractices.
“It is obvious that this is how students of such private schools pass examinations with ease and government needs to do something fast,” he said.
Another parent, Mrs. Folashade Atanda, said examination malpractice had become a regular practice in many private schools than in public schools.
“It runs through from the primary to the tertiary Institutions. It will take so many years of reorganisation of the education sector, honesty, laying less emphasis on paper qualification, fairness and justice, right punishment for offences committed and the change starting with each and every one of us,” she said.
She said the disgusting and disgraceful attitude of politicians was a reflection of the nation’s educational system.
Mrs. Rosalind Imara, who is also a parent, however, said examination malpractices could be tackled.
“By WAEC refusing to register special centers and school owners standing their ground that there would be no examination malpractices in their schools; if school owners will refuse to be intimidated by parents who want their children to pass by hook or crook,” she said.
Adebisi Awobajo Alaba on her part blamed the approval granted by those in authority to all sorts of schools for the menace, saying, “It is only God’s intervention that can straighten things.”
Ephraim Nyong said the problem was prevalent in Lagos State due to the payment of the WASSCE of all final year secondary school students by the state government.
According to him, “If a student passes all his subjects but fails either Mathematics or English Language, such a student is considered to have failed the qualifying examination and, therefore, has to repeat SS2.
“That is why any public school student who fail this examination and is asked to repeat, find their way with ease into SS 3 in private schools, where they are registered for the SSCE with “cooked up” Continuous Assessment Scores ( CAS 1, CAS 2) on the payment of all manner of fees or levies, including supervisors’ settlement fees, etc.
“So, for those who may be wondering whether it is an exaggeration, when they hear they pay as much as N50,000 and N80,000 or even higher, they should know that these and worse things are happening.”
For Nonye Martins, the situation had become totally worrisome, adding, “My son, who came home over the weekend for his JAMB mock, shared his worry with me and I felt so bad. He said, ‘mum, do you know that in school the confident ones are mostly those who don’t study. They are so sure they will get admission while those who study believe they haven’t studied enough and not ready for their examination.’
“I just understand where those fake confidence come from- special centres and special arrangements, of course. May God help us. I sat my son down and had a long chat with him to boost his confidence and prayed for him for grace. It is all about us, parents.”
Oladimeji AbdulHakeem argued that the root of the problem was the primary school.
“The common entrance examimnations are always arranged for pupils from private schools, they charge higher fees for the examination, make sure they go to the centre in their school uniforms, arrange a class for them and invigilators help the children to pass. The parents, the proprietors of private schools and the government are all culpable in this act,” he said.
Another parent, who is also a teacher, Hauwa Ahmed, said she had an unpleasant and painful experience three years ago.
She alleged that the examination officer connived with some students to bribe the external invigilator and they were bargaining in the hall in a language the invigilator thought she did not understand.
“I wept that day because I saw all my efforts (it was my subject) going down the drain. Then the shocker was when I reported in the staff meeting; the principal feigned ignorance and I became a public enemy,” she said.
