WAEC arrests supervisors in Lagos, Kano, Bayelsa, others over malpractice

The Head of Nigeria National Office of the West African Examination Council (WAEC) Patrick Areghan has disclosed that about 10 supervisors have been arrested by the police for alleged involvement in examination malpractices in the ongoing Senior Secondary Certificate Examination across the country.

He also disclosed that more than 1.6 million candidates registered to sit for the examination that was commenced on 16 May 2022 in over 22,000 Secondary schools across the country.

Areghan who disclosed this during supervision of the examination in four centres on Thursday in Abuja said their arrest was made in Lagos, Kano, Bayelsa and Kaduna States, stating that the Council is working in collaboration with security agencies to ensure that those involved in examination malpractice are apprehended and punished in accordance with the provisions of the law.

“Our major problem lies with the supervisors as only a few of them are reliable and it’s unfortunate. These are the supervisors that were nominated by the various states’ ministry of education and we employed them. We don’t have the power to nominate any supervisor on our own, we only made use of credible teachers supplied to us by the ministries,” he said.

He said: “But for a mere pot of porridge they sell their conscience and allow candidates to come into the examination hall with phones to snap question papers and post them on designated platforms.”

He noted that some of the supervisors belong to syndicate groups that run the platforms, saying, “The good news is we catch them and they don’t go unpunished as we are working hand in hand with the Nigerian police.”

He blamed the problem of examination malpractice on poor preparation for students and emphasis on paper qualification in Nigeria, noting that education remains the bedrock of development of any nation.

He urged the Government to properly fund education, engage qualified teachers in the system, equipped laboratories as well as provision of infrastructure for enhanced teaching and learning.

While condemning the act by schools who allegedly defrauded some candidates after collecting money and failed to enrol them, clarifying however that it was not the fault of WAEC that they were not registered.

The WAEC Head who is impressed with the process, however, warned candidates to desist from the use of expo, saying those who employ the use of textbooks in examinations hall or impersonation would not get their results, adding that the Council has deployed technology to assist in detecting candidates who cheat in the examination.

“The most troubling one is the activities of roadside website operators whereby they post their so-called expo on digital platforms and use it to deceive gullible candidates and parents who pay for their wards to access these platforms. They are fake and even if they are not when will they have time to access those materials as an examination is already going on,” he said.

He reassured the general public that the Council would do its best to deliver credible examinations to the Nigerian child, release results timeously and issue certificates that might be globally recognised and accepted.

Speaking, the Permanent Secretary at the Federal Ministry of Education, Mr David Andrew Adejo expressed satisfaction with the process and the deployment of technology in the authentication of candidates saying that has reduced malpractice.

He said: “Malpractices can occur in the examination centres with the collision of the school authority and biometric machines have reduced malpractice to infinitesimal, I will be surprised if I hear of any malpractice.”

The principal of NTIC, Muazu Omeji said adequate preparation and having enough qualified teachers is a prerequisites to tackle malpractice.

He said their students have adequate preparation and there will not be the reason to cheat in examinations as they have been participating in examinations since the school’s 24 years of existence and have not been found wanting.

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WAEC arrests supervisors in Lagos, Kano, Bayelsa, others over malpractice