Corruption In Education Sector : A Graduate Without Examination.
It was Jean Jacques Rousseau a foremost philosopher in history that said “plants are shaped by cultivation and men by education….. we are born weak , we need strength, we are born totally unprovided, we need aid , we are born stupid , we need judgment . Everything we do not have at birth and which we need when we grow is given to us by education,” this quote stands to tell any generation that desires to live after its birth that education is inevitable for survival in this competitive and ever-changing world.
However, when we look at the way we run our education system world over with Nigeria inclusive, we begin to ask ourselves whether we are actually going for the needed aid {at least to the little that is available} when we are born totally unprovided, or that we are engaged in the pursuit of an evidence {certificate} which shows that there was an aid when in practice there was little or nothing to show as the thing actually acquired before the certificate.
Back there in our school days there was a common saying that goes “na waoo for WAEC”. This saying keeps reminding the students that at the end of their secondary school career , there will be a day of judgment {examination}, that is, a day when every candidate that will sit for the examination will be expected to show , by written on his own and off hand , the answers that will be expected of him in each question .
Such was the march then, both in WAEC and any other examination in those days. And people studied and advanced in their areas of study with the latest and most popular advancement in a course like Physics being the Internet. This facility make materials available at the palm and doorsteps of every student who intends reading his way through the challenges of life.
But as the biblical Job went to the temple to offer his sacrifices, the bible recorded that “Satan also came”. The internet that was designed to help man to reach actualization in his career is now what man uses to harm him self his own field of endeavour all in a bid of getting certificate either as an O’level candidate or at most a doctorate degree holder, without observing the actual standard examination rules and regulations .
We all can testify that O’level and advanced level examinations take place in our country every year and that the students are expected to write their answers online or at least by use of paper and pen or pencil. Each examination, when one is successful in it or on some other exams, qualifies one for the award of a given certificate. These were the general believe but not the actual state of events, owing to insane desire to achieve certificate, and the society’s inability to associate itself with a failure not minding the factor that contributed to one’s being a failure.
An interview I conducted on a cross section of students that wrote O’level examinations, and computer-based examination and in higher institutions “let me not the call the names of the examination bodies and the higher institutions in Nigeria for now”, revealed a shocking secret to “success”. Reliable sources, I mean candidates of one examination or the other, at any of these aforementioned levels assure me that the answers to the questions use to be ready at online platform about thirty minutes before the commencement of the examination.
They further said that, whoever that wants it, doesn’t need to suffer himself or herself. The candidate will just pay some subscription fees to the website(s) to enable him receive an access code number from the site managers through which the candidate will access ready-made answers to every question that he will see in the exam hall from anywhere through his handset.
Another response from students of some of our higher institutions said that when it is time to write examination in their schools, as a result of the fact that the management of their schools has upgraded their platform for the conduct of their examinations to computer-based platform to curb what they call “sorting”, the students now engage into “sorting” the lecturers even before the date for the examination. This they said , is done in a way that the lecturer will disclose his exact question to the students and the exact answers they are expected to give in the online test to ensure success, as the computer has been programmed to mark and give the scores by itself.
And at this juncture I begin to ask, does it mean that this government that was elected to combat corruption in Nigeria does not know of this development in the education sector, the existence of those websites that carry out this activity or do they want me to write out the web addresses of those sites here before they do something? If airborne diseases can be controlled, airborne answers can’t it be stopped? I feel concerned about this when I read a quote by Dante Aligheri- Italian Poet of 13th century; which said that the darkest part of hell is reserved for those that maintain neutrality during the time of moral crises
I also interviewed a lecturer on the reason for the prevalence of “sorting” that is, in their definition; (monetary inducement to influence better score from a lecturer to a student). His response was that their take home pay is not what to write home about and that the governments don’t pay them regularly, sometimes for like six months to one year. So, they have to look for ways to make ends meet.
Yes, I wanted condemning the lecturer and he shifted the crime to the government and when I came back to listen to my radio, I heard the government begging the taxable adults to pay their taxes so that they will have capital to carry out their expected obligations. At this stage, I lost my moral fibre which I would have used to criticize the lecturer and government too.
IF SO WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE?
It was John F. Kennedy, the thirty-fifth president of the United States who said “ let US think of EDUCATION as a means of developing our greatest ABILITIES , because in EACH of US there is a private hope and DREAM which , fulfilled can be translated into BENEFIT for EVERYONE and greater STRENGTH for our NATION”. This shows us that any success that will be recorded in the education sector must be a product of team work involving the government, the NGOs and the private sector like you and I.
But as it stands now, we need to do something if not everything possible and urgently too, to save ourselves from these self-imposed mess, less we transfer this “virus” to the next and very innocent generation. As Victor Hugo, a French poet, dramatist and novelist inspired us “he who opens a school door closes a prison”. Let us contribute our quota today not minding how little it could look to close this floodgate.
IBEZIMAKO CHINONSO
SERVING CORPS MEMBER,
RESEARCHER AND WRITER, WRITING FROM ENUGU.
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