The West Africa Examination Council has vowed to impose appropriate sanctions on the culprits of examination malpractice.
The examination body lamented the rise in examination malpractice and, therefore, highlighted several measures to curb the menace.
WAEC Head of the Public Affairs Department, Demianus G. Ojijeogu, said this in a statement issued after the 66th Meeting of the Nigeria Examinations Committee of the West African Examinations Council held in Ogba, Lagos.
According to the statement, cases of irregularities arising from the conduct of the WASSCE for Private Candidates 2017 and the WASSCE for Private Candidates 2018-First Series were received by the committee.
WAEC said, “In the course of considering the various reported cases of malpractice, the Committee, after diligent deliberations, approved appropriate sanctions in all established cases of malpractice, as prescribed by the Rules and Regulations governing the conduct of the Council’s examinations.
“It approved the cancellation of the entire results of candidates involved in proven cases while proven cases in subject cases attract Cancellation of Subject Results, similarly.”
“More so, some candidates will also suffer other sanctions such as barring them from sitting for the Council’s examinations for a certain number of years, some schools will be derecognised for a specified number of years, some supervisors that were found wanting in the discharge of their examination duties will be formally reported to their employers and blacklisted while some invigilators will be reported to the appropriate authorities for disciplinary action.”
In addition, the committee concluded that the results of candidates who were exonerated by the Committee would be released.
Special cases, clemency appeals from the WASSCE for School Candidates, 2018, and impounded certificates for various years were considered for release by the committee.
The Committee further observed that even with the commendable efforts of the Council in the fight against examination malpractice, the menace was still on the increase.
According to the statement, “The Committee also decried the high rate of impersonation as a form of examination malpractice in School Candidates examinations, called on school principals to check the ugly trend and urged state Ministries of Education to look at the calibre and integrity of teachers nominated as supervisors for public examinations.
“On the issue of punishment for schools, candidates, invigilators and supervisors caught aiding and abetting examination malpractice, the Committee advised that WAEC, All Nigeria Conference of Principals of Secondary Schools and state Ministries of Education should publish the names of those involved to serve as a deterrent to
others.”
Finally, “the Committee commended the Council for ensuring that examination cheats do not get away with their nefarious activities by deploying cutting-edge technology and putting in place several mechanisms to detect and forestall examination malpractice.”
