The West African Examinations Council, WAEC, has called for stricter use of computer-based testing, CBT, to tackle examination malpractice and protect the credibility of public examinations.
The call was made by a WAEC official in Makurdi, Mr Timothy Manga, during an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria, NAN. Manga said concerns over so-called “miracle centres” remained troubling, although WAEC had not officially confirmed the existence of any such centre in Benue State.
According to Manga, examination malpractice poses a serious threat to the education system and undermines students who prepare legitimately for examinations. He said schools should be recognised for quality teaching and academic performance rather than for facilitating examination malpractice.
Manga stressed the need for an examination system where candidates’ success is determined by knowledge, preparation and competence. He said WAEC would continue monitoring developments and investigate credible information about centres suspected of facilitating malpractice.
A teacher with NKST Secondary School, Makurdi, Mrs Rebecca Ezekiel, supported the call for stronger examination controls.
Ezekiel suggested that independent examination centres could reduce the influence of schools and teachers over external examinations conducted by WAEC and the National Examinations Council, NECO. She argued that candidates should sit for examinations under conditions separate from the schools where they receive their instruction.
According to her, CBT would give examination bodies greater control over examination venues, personnel and security arrangements. She also recommended biometric verification, Closed-Circuit Television, CCTV, and other technologies to strengthen supervision and prevent impersonation and other forms of malpractice.
However, a school proprietor in Otukpo Local Government Area, Mr Jude Odeh, cautioned against automatically labelling schools as miracle centres simply because they admit students in their final year.
Odeh said he had heard allegations concerning the existence of such centres in Benue but had not identified any specific school operating as one. He explained that parents sometimes moved their children between schools for different reasons, including high examination registration costs and school fees.
According to him, some schools impose high examination charges, which can become difficult for parents when combined with regular school fees. Odeh, however, noted that some schools in Benue do not admit new students into Senior Secondary School Three, SS3.
He said such schools register only students who had progressed from SS2 for external examinations. The discussions come amid renewed concerns over examination malpractice and the need for stronger systems capable of protecting the credibility of Nigeria’s examination process.
