CAN WE CURB EXAMINATION MALPRACTICES IN NIGERIA OR JUST PRETENDING?

WHY WAEC,NECO AND JAMB MALPRACTICES

ARE HARD TO CONTROL IN NIGERIA

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INTRO

I have operated in the Nigerian Education sector for over 25 yrs. My assessment about cheating and examination malpractices is as follows:It is widespread beyond your imagination and CAN NEVER BE REDUCED OR STOPPED…as long as our societal values in this country remain the same.Let me put forward 10 reasons/difficult suggestions in simple straightforward English Language why my conclusion is as expressed.

REASONS/SUGGESTION

1, Cheating and examination malpractices are directly related  to the quality of our educational inputs.We cannot grow grass and expect apples.And what are these warped inputs?. There are more than 100 of them and we shall be mentioning them as we continue to develop additional write-ups on malpractices.

2.There is basically academic dishonesty in our educational set-up at the secondary school level.I shall deliberately avoid discussing the dishonesty at other levels.Take for instance the case of school continuous assessments.Do parents actually bother themselves about the accuracy of these reports?. Do schools really bother about the integrity of internal tests? How do they ensure that daily assignments submitted were actually done by students and that they were not copied or uploaded/downloaded from one student to another? Are schools and parents aware that more than 70% of students do not take homework seriously?Do schools have internal auditing systems to confirm or maintain the integrity of what they put together as students’ continuous assessments?

3. If you gather SS3 students together after their WAEC or JAMB examinations and if they feel very close to you like in a father-son  relationship they will make some mind-boggling confessions to you.They will inform you that more than 90% of them were involved in one form of academic fraud or the other  between JSS1 and SS3. More than 90% of them will also tell you that they have seen their classmates also involved in one form of cheating during their six years in the secondary school!Nearly all of them will confirm that they had cheated on daily homework!. So the problem of cheating at WAEC or Jamb are actually deeply rooted in our educational fabric.Their manifestations  at those levels are mere symptoms of a silent killer or the branches/off-shoots of a diseased stem.

4.What is most surprising,however, is that almost all these students agree that based on moral and religious teachings cheating is bankrupt and indefensible.

5.Virtually all of them also agree that school invigilators and tutors are corrupt.They confirmed that some of them turn blind eyes to what is going on in their school exam halls.And there have been cases where tutors were caught doctoring students reports going to parents-even at faith-based secondary schools.

6.Some of these students have suggested that since churches and mosques are now everywhere it could be useful to have pastors,deacons,imams and born-again volunteers posted as joint invigilators as it would go a long way in countering many cheating activities which run very negative to religious values.They said helping to keep students on the straight and narrow path is equivalent to saving their lives too.

7.What is most worrisome is that many students  consider cheating at very impersonal levels.Many do not see their involvement as a determinant of their personality.This detachment is one big factor making cheating very acceptable to them.

8.Since the country places a high premium in getting high-grade results many students feel they are justified to cheat by any means necessary to have good grades.

9. Some students in particular are bitter about how their schools or tutors handled them.They also look at cheating as fair and a sort of payback to such schools or tutors who never believed in them.

10.Some students also confirmed that cheating was traditional in their schools and that they simply joined what they met on the ground.To them,cheating is a game needing team effort like playing a basketball game.

CONCLUSION?

SO WHAT DO YOU THINK? CAN MALPRACTICES BE CURED BY MERELY LOOKING FOR SO-CALLED BARONS,CARTELS AND RELEASING THEM WITHOUT LONG JAIL TERMS OR BY BLACKMAILING SCHOOLS OR INDIVIDUALS ONLY? PLEASE LET US HAVE YOUR OPINION TOO.

Thank you.

Acknowledgement: Dr Wilda of WordPress for similar work done on examination malpractices in the U.S…

PAST WAEC EXAM/NECO QUESTIONS ON “ARGUEMENTS,DEBATES AND SPEECHES”-EDUCATION AND LIVING

ENGLISH LANGUAGE QUESTIONS  FOR PRACTICE

[caption id="attachment_292" align="alignleft" width="500"] mason college students on school stage[/caption]

 

ESSAY QUESTIONS FOR PRACTICE

NOW PRACTICE WITH THE ESSAY QUESTIONS BELOW AND MAIL YOUR ANSWERS TO US. WE’LL LET YOU KNOW ASAP AREAS NEEDING FURTHER WORK OR ATTENTION…GOOD LUCK.”


1.You are speaker in a debate on the topic: “Civilian rule is better than military rule”. Write your contribution for or against the motion.

 2 .You are a speaker in an inter-school debate on the topic: “It is better to attend a school near your home than one outside your neighborhood.” Write your speech for or against the proposition.

 3. As your contribution to a debate, write an argument for or against the proposition: “We are happier than our forefathers.”

 4. You are the chief speaker in a school debate the topic of which is: “public secondary schools are better than private ones”. Write your speech for or against the topic.

 5. You are the chief speaker in a debate on the topic: “female children are more beneficial than male children to their parents.” Write out your speech for or against the motion.

 6. The topic of a debate organized by the Directorate of Mass Mobilization for senior secondary schools is: “The open ballot system is better than the secret ballot system for Nigeria.” Write your contribution for or against the motion.

 7. You are the main speaker in a school debate, the topic of which is: “Bribery and corruption are worse enemies of our country than armed robbery.” Write your speech for or against the topic.

 8. The topic of an essay competition organized by the young writers club for final year students is: “Our traditional marriage system is more suitable for the present generation of Nigerians than the English system.” Write your entry for or against the topic.

 9. The political science students association in one of the higher institutions of learning has invited your school to participate in a debate on the topic: Civil rule is preferable to military rule.” Write out your speech for or against the motion.

 10. Your school has been invited to participate in a debate on the topic: “Education in secondary schools should be abolished.” Write your speech for or against the motion.

 11. You have been invited to lead the motion in a school debate for or against the proposition that: “The 6-3-3-4 system of education was beneficial to the youths of Nigeria.” Write out your speech.    

 12. You have just ended your tenure as the President of the youth club in your community. Write a speech which will be delivered at the last general meeting before you leave office, recounting your achievements and expressing your hopes for the future of the club.

 13. You have been invited to a youth organization to speak on “Indiscipline among youths” Write out your speech.

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PAST WAEC QUESTIONS ON LETTER-WRITING (INFORMAL)....EDUCATION AND LIVING:

To Students, Parents,Schools,Churches and Mosques…Here Are Reasons/ Advantages of Registering Your Wards for Jamb 2014 Through Our Centre (Edupedia Associates) (lagosbooksclub.wordpress.com)

PAST QUESTIONS FOR  WAEC EXAMINATION IN ENGLISH LANGUAGE (2): INFORMAL LETTER WRITING

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 NOW PRACTICE WITH THE ESSAY QUESTIONS  YOU’LL COME ACROSS IN THIS AND OTHER POSTS.PLEASE MAIL YOUR ANSWERS TO US AND WE’LL LET YOU KNOW ASAP AREAS NEEDING FURTHER WORK OR ADDITIONAL EFFORT BY YOU. BUT PLEASE PAY ATTENTION TO THE SUMMARIES ABOVE(WHICH WE GAVE IN THAT POST)…GOOD LUCK.”

LETTER-WRITING (INFORMAL)

15.Write a letter to your father who has been on a long course abroad telling him how the family has been faring in his absence (450 words)

16. A nagging problem in your family has so far defied all solution. Write a letter to an uncle of yours stating what the problem is and giving reasons why he should intervene.

17.You are in the final year of a Secondary school. Write a letter to your uncle who is an influential person in the society, telling him what you intend  to do next and ask for his assistance.

18.You have received information that your brother, who is schooling in another part of the country, is playing truant and keeping bad company. Write a letter warning him of the consequences of such behavior and urging him to turn over a new leaf.

19.You had a quarrel with a very good friend of yours some time ago and since then both of you have not been on speaking terms. Write a letter to him or her expressing your regret of the break in your relationship and your desire for reconciliation.

20.Your younger sister in SS2 has written for your advise on what subjects she should study for SSCE. As someone who knows her ability in the different subjects, write a letter to her giving advice on why she should choose certain subjects rather than others.

21.An elder sister of yours who left school had confided in you in her last letter that she plans to elope with her lover whom your parents do not approve of. Write a letter to her advising against such action, and suggesting steps she should take to obtain the parents’ consent.22.You have changed school and after a few months, you discover that the present school is not as good as the former. Write a letter to your former school giving at least three areas in which the new school doesn’t measure up to the old one.

 23.There was a terrible storm in your town during which houses were destroyed. Your family house was among those affected. Write a letter to your uncle working overseas describing the disaster and requesting for help in reconstructing the house.

24.A friend of yours has been absent from school for about a month due to illness. Write a letter to your friend describing some interesting things that have happened in the school during the period and expressing your wish for a quick recovery.

25,In a letter to your brother who has been studying abroad for the past five years, describe at least three ways in which the current economic situation has affected the ways and life of  your family.

26.One of you pen friends has written asking you to describe your favorite Nigerian dish to enable her prepare it. Write back explaining how the dish is cooked.

To Students, Parents,Schools,Churches and Mosques…Here Are Reasons/ Advantages of Registering Your Wards for Jamb 2014 Through Our Centre (Edupedia Associates) (lagosbooksclub.wordpress.com)