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Ex-commissioner calls for ethical revolution through exam ethics

By Iyabo Lawal
04 April 2019   |   3:22 am
Eminent scholar, Prof. Abednego Ekoko, has called for ethical revolution in Delta State schools where every teaching and non-teaching staff member would imbibe the spirit and letters of exam ethics campaign and pledge.

Eminent scholar, Prof. Abednego Ekoko, has called for ethical revolution in Delta State schools where every teaching and non-teaching staff member would imbibe the spirit and letters of exam ethics campaign and pledge. Ekoko, a former commissioner for education in Delta State maintained that upholding examination ethics would have a revolutionary impact on national ethics in terms of rebuilding the collapsed moral infrastructure if the initiative is replicated in every institution across the country.

The former deputy vice chancellor and sole administrator of Delta State University, Abraka said, “Education will be recharged, re-booted and re-energised to deliver on its mission of raising quality leaders, professionals and citizens with character and learning to deliver transformation.”

Referring to the story of Miss Success Edogor, the seven-year old Sapele schoolgirl, which broke the internet few weeks ago, Ekoko stated that “systematic corruption will be a thing of the past in Nigeria as more of such pupils and students are pumped into the system”. He explained that this has been the vision and mission of the Ethics Marshals Movement since 1996.He lauded the administration of Governor Ifeanyi Okowa for providing the enabling environment for the Delta State Exam Ethics campaign.

Ekoko drew attention to the October 2018 report of the West African Examination Council (WAEC) on rising cases of malpractice. According to him, WAEC reported massive involvement of school principals, teachers, exam supervisors and invigilators in aiding and abetting mass cheating. The professor revealed further that WAEC had sanctioned some schools by de-recognising them as exam centres and forwarded their names and perpetrators to the state governments.

“Governor Okowa did not just respond to the WAEC report alone, he launched initiatives aimed at entrenching ethics, integrity and best practices in the state in general.The governor took three distinct steps by first declaring a policy of zero tolerance for exam malpractice and academic dishonesty in the state’s internal and external examinations. He also inaugurated an inter-ministerial committee to investigate and sanction those found culpable in all cases of exam misconduct reported by all exam boards.“He also commissioned Exam Ethics Marshals International to work with the ministry of basic and secondary education to develop and distribute the state ‘Exam Ethics Manual’ and conduct training for all teaching and non-teaching staff.”

He highlighted the main thrust of the 151-page exam manual to include identifying the nature of malpractice and academic misconduct but not restricted to: admission racketeering, extortion of money from students and pupils (through illegal examination fees; handout rackets, leakage of question papers; collusion and mass cheating; cash and carry accreditation process; forgery and falsification of certificate, plagiarism, licensing and approval malpractices, as well as accreditation of magic centres among others.

He lauded the governor for launching the first phase of examination ethics training under the Delta State teachers’ professional development programme in January this year not minding that every leader in Nigeria was primarily pre-occupied with the general elections.
Ekoko also paid tribute to the founding chairman, Exam Ethics Marshall International, Ike Onyechere for his pioneering efforts in tackling examination malpractice nationwide.

Ekoko pointed out that the Okowa government commenced the training of 571 shortlisted teaching and non-teaching staff members out of which 261 were inducted and inaugurated as exam ethics marshals and ambassadors.

Another important component training, according to him, is “how to establish exam ethics student clubs in schools as vehicles for mentoring pupils with a view to planting seeds of integrity in their fertile minds, catch them young to have zero tolerance for exam malpractice and develop a culture of succeeding in examination and other endeavours based on ethics compliance principles.”Ekoko urged stakeholders to be bold and courageous in blowing the whistle against non-compliance.

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