The Registrar of the National Examinations Council (NECO), Professor Dantani Ibrahim Wushishi has disclosed that examination malpractices are rampant in northern states of Nigeria.

According to him, cases of examination malpractices have been very rampant in Bauchi, Borno, Kano and Kebbi States in the past five years.

The Registrar made this disclosure while making a presentation titled “Consequences of Examination Malpractice: Closing the gaps and incentives for National Growth” during the 2021 Biennial National Conference and AGM of the Association of Model Islamic Schools.

Making an analysis, the Registrar revealed that most of the states where there were high levels of examination malpractices were mostly in the North.

“In 2016, Bauchi (8.17%), Kaduna (6.20%), Kano (5.51%), Plateau (5.31%), and Sokoto State (8.87%) experienced high level of examination malpractice.

“In 2017, Bauchi (10.79%), Kebbi (16.06%), Borno (7.87%) and Kano (7.29%) states featured prominently in high level of examination malpractice.

“In 2018, Kano (12.45%), Kebbi (10.71%), Gombe (5.40%) and Zamfara (5.14%) states were more involved in examination malpractices.

“In 2019, Bornu (13.08%), Kano (11.70%), Kebbi (8.67%), Taraba (5.04%) and Yobe (6.56%) states had high level of examination malpractice.

“Similarly, in 2020, Adamawa (18.51%), Bauchi (7.88%), Kaduna (6.87%), Kano (7.88%) and Katsina (18.01%) states had high level of examination malpractice.

“In the five years under study, Bauchi, Borno, Kano and Kebbi States featured prominently in the high level of examination malpractice”, he said.

Wushishi further said that aiding and abetting, copying foreign materials, collusion and double scripts were more in occurrence over the last five years, adding that leakage of questions has had zero level over the past five years.

He stated that examination malpractice has caused the lowering of educational standards in the educational system in Nigeria, adding that it has the potential of making the nation’s educational institutions to produce quacks and inferior manpower as graduates.

Wushishi recommended that government needs to relax over-emphasising certification and paper qualification for everything in the country, stressing that appropriate sanctions should be meted on the culprits of malpractices who are caught.

(The Nation)