Niger Delta groups launch campaign against examination malpractice

The Niger Delta Royal Queens and the National Association of Women in Colleges of Education (NAWCOE) have launched a joint campaign to tackle the menace of examination malpractice in primary, secondary and tertiary institutions, saying the move is aimed at addressing the falling standard of education in Nigeria.

The campaign was launched when members of NAWCOE visited the president of the Niger Delta Royal Queens and wife of the Amayanabo of Twon Brass, Dr Josephine Diete-Spiff, at the Traditional Rulers Council Secretariat, Ovom, in Yenagoa, the Bayelsa State capital.

Dr Diete-Spiff noted that lack of proper parental upbringing, cultism and corruption are some of the major factors militating against quality education and that the queens in their various domains would put a searchlight on their respective community schools through targeted advocacy and enlightenment programmes.

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She said: “In each of our domains, we are going to talk to the teachers, headmasters, headmistresses or even the principals about the need to combat examination malpractices.

“Then, we will be having another meeting to agree that each and every one of us must do something in our domain to reform our educational system in order to help children do the right thing and make good decisions.

“If they start well and parents put their eyes on their children, they are going to grow up well to be better leaders tomorrow.”

The national president of NAWCOE and teacher at the Federal College of Education, Pankshin, Plateau State, Dr. Zipporah Duguryil, said as a nation, Nigeria is faced with lots of challenges and that the society has a role to play in curbing these challenges.

“The truth is that most parents are absentee parents. What we will do is to step down using advocacy in our various communities, inviting parents to come around to tell them that there is a need for proper parenting.

“We shall commission all our local chapters to organize seminars and workshops for parents, and tell them that some of the problems that we have are because they are absentee parents,” Dr. Duguryil said.

Also speaking, the provost, Federal College of Education (Technical), Umunze, Anambra State, Dr. Tessy Okoli, said examination malpractice is a cankerworm in the educational sector, and that there is a need for attitudinal change both from the family and the larger society.

“When you train children by making sure they do what they need to do in the school, during assignment (you) look at what they are doing, making them to read, instilling the reading culture in them, when examinations come you won’t be afraid,” she said.