Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, has directed that student(s) involved in examination malpractice during the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) should be barred from sitting any external examinations in Nigeria such as those conducted by WAEC, NECO, NABTEB, for three years.

Alausa said such a stringent measure would serve as a deterrent to other students and parents.

The minister gave the directive in a letter directed to the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB) and other exam bodies in accordance with sections 5(1) ? (iv) and 6 of the JAMB Act, considering the menace of ?miracle centres? in the education sector at the secondary school level.

This is coming following the announcement by JAMB that during the 2025 examinations, further high level malpractices were uncovered, which led to the withdrawal of some results and the arrest of several culprits across the country, some of whom had reportedly made useful confessions.

The Board said over 3,000 candidates nationwide had been identified as either accomplices or beneficiaries of extraordinary examination fraud, saying, ?As investigation progresses, all candidates implicated in these unwholesome activities will have their results withdrawn as soon as incontrovertible proofs are established, even if the results have been released.?

The minister also said any school/CBT centre involved in examination malpractice and/or acting as a miracle centre should be barred for a number of years to be determined by the exam bodies.

The letter reads: ?If any school/CBT centre is derecognised by any examination body, other sister examination bodies should follow suit and derecognise the same school/CBT centre for the same number of years to run concurrently. This will send a very strong signal to operators of these miracle centres.

?This directive is also in accordance with Section 16(2) of the Examination Malpractices Act, which states: ?An examination body may, in the exercise of its powers under this section, circulate the name of an offending candidates, supervisors, invigilator, official , school, or examination centre to other examination bodies, which may impose similar punishment.? (Daily Trust)

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