The National Association of Proprietors of Private Schools (NAPPS) is collaborating with Afrikindness, a United Kingdom-based charitable organisation for children and young adults, and other stakeholders, to stamp out examination malpractices from Nigeria’s educational system or reduce it to the barest minimum.
The menace, which has remained a big challenge in the country and globally, was the focal point of discourse at a virtual teachers’ training workshop organised recently by NAPPS in Nigeria.
The forum, held in conjunction with Afrikindness, was themed: ’Promoting integrity: Strategies for mitigating examination malpractice in schools.”
Speaking at the event, NAPPS National President, Yomi Otubela, explained that the training was for educators to be enlightened on why they need to take proactive measures against exam malpractice in schools.
Otubela said it is important for educators, learners, and other stakeholders to always uphold the principles of honesty, transparency, accountability and integrity on exams and certificates coming out of an educational system.
While condemning examination malpractice in all its forms, Otubela, who is also the chairman of Lagooz Group of Schools, said the growing concern about the menace in recent times has threatened the credibility and integrity of educational institutions.
He noted that the workshop was designed to provide participants, who are school owners, administrators, and teachers, with opportunities to share ideas, strategies, and best practices, to effectively tackle examination malpractice.
He pointed out that the adverse consequences of exam malpractice are not limited to cheaters and those who aided it, but extended to the education sector, economy, and society in general.
Otubela said that is why fighting the menace and achieving success requires the collective efforts of stakeholders.
According to him, educators must be able to promote a culture of academic honesty and ethical behaviour among students.
He said a situation where teachers and even parents encourage their students and wards to engage in exam malpractice is not only unheard of but condemnable.
He, therefore, called on participants to work together to instil a sense of integrity and ethical values in the country’s educational system by grooming a generation of young leaders, who will uphold the highest standards of moral conduct in school and after graduation.
In their separate contributions, the Chief Executive Officer of Afrikindness, Bunmi Owolabi and two other speakers, Lovette Monyei and Alice Crawford, said educators are expected to prepare learners at all levels for future challenges.
They noted that it is only when educators prepare students well with the right knowledge and skills, as well as moral values, emotional intelligence, and self-management, that they would be able to contribute meaningfully to societal advancement.
