The Federal Government has warned parents, teachers, school proprietors, principals, invigilators and students against examination malpractice, as it moves to tighten controls around public examinations and restore credibility to Nigeria’s education system.
The Minister of Education, Dr. Maruf Tunji Alausa, CON, gave the warning during a meeting with the National Association of Proprietors of Private Schools (NAPPS) and other education stakeholders, stressing that examination malpractice had become deeply entrenched and was creating an unfair advantage for candidates who did not prepare genuinely for their examinations.
Alausa said the practice undermines the integrity of examination results, disadvantages hardworking students and erodes public confidence in qualifications awarded by the nation’s education system.
According to him, the Federal Government is strengthening examination administration to make public examinations more secure and ensure that results reflect genuine learning, knowledge and merit.
He said the measures are part of the wider education sector reforms of the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu administration aimed at improving standards, strengthening accountability and rebuilding trust in Nigeria’s assessment system.
The Minister emphasised that the fight against examination malpractice must involve all stakeholders, noting that students were not the only actors contributing to the problem.
He therefore urged parents, teachers, proprietors, principals, invigilators and other stakeholders to uphold examination rules, provide conducive learning environments and discourage any practice that gives candidates unfair access to examination materials.
The Minister of State for Education, Prof. Suwaiba Said Ahmad, disclosed that the introduction of serialised examination questions would make it more difficult for candidates to rely on leaked examination materials.
She explained that tighter examination controls could initially expose weaknesses in students’ actual preparation, particularly among candidates who had become accustomed to accessing leaked questions before external examinations.
According to her, some students who perform exceptionally well in internal examinations may struggle in external examinations when access to leaked materials is eliminated.
Prof. Ahmad urged private school proprietors to support the reforms, saying schools must complete the curriculum on schedule and encourage students to engage in consistent study and genuine preparation.
She assured private education stakeholders that the Ministry would continue to engage with and support them as the reforms are implemented.
The Minister of State said the ultimate objective was to ensure that examination results provide a credible assessment of students’ knowledge and abilities.
Alausa, meanwhile, assured stakeholders that the Federal Government would continue to work with private schools, examination bodies and other partners to strengthen the credibility of Nigeria’s examination system.
He said the administration remained committed to protecting genuine learners and building an education system where academic qualifications are earned through knowledge, hard work and merit.
