Educationist berates parents, schools for aiding exams malpractice

Sanity will only return to the country’s education system if school owners and parents resolve to embrace change and halt the rampant aiding and abetting of examination malpractice.

Founder, Yomi Otubela Foundation (YOF) and proprietor Lagooz Schools, Lagos State, Yomi Otubela, while speaking at a press conference ahead of the 2017 YOF scholarship examination insisted that both leaders and followers in the country must embrace change in order for the educational sector to move forward.

According to him: “Until leaders and followers determine to make things change, that is when the sector will move forward. The value system has eroded up to the extent that even parents do not know what standard education is all about. Parents are now aiding their children in all shades of examination malpractices. We have also seen schools collaborating with parents to engage in examination malpractices; we have also seen schools compromising the standard of education in order to make more money. Looking at government as the only cause of decay in education is tantamount to not saying the truth.”

Otubela explained that the scholarship, which beneficiaries are usually from seven-year-old and above, would this year focus a lot on mathematics, and slated to take place in April.

“Currently we give the scholarship from age seven and above. Registration for the examination commenced since December 21, 2016, and will close on February 24, 2017. The portal for the registration exercise has also been made accessible since 21st December, 2016 while the scholarship examination has been fixed for April 14, 2017.The YOF team has put some measures in place to prevent the shortcoming we had during the last scholarship examination.”

On the budgetary allocation for education this year, he said: “If the ‘little’ budget that we have is effectively implemented, then we would be able to achieve something…”

Coordinator of YOF, Shodiya Ololade, said: “Since 2012, YOF has been contributing meaningfully to the lives of underprivileged Africans, especially Nigerians through the  scholarship scheme, (partial and full scholarship), human capacity building, empowerment and teacher training.