Awka
Anambra Government has directed the immediate dismissal of all existing West African Examination, WAEC supervisors for all the secondary schools in the state, from the assignment.
The new directive is part of efforts by the State Ministry of Education under the leadership of Professor Ngozi Chuma-Udeh, to address the issues of examination malpractice in schools across the state.
Recall that following the indictment of Tower Primary School, Oba in Idemili South Council Area, for examination malpractice, during the 2023 Transition Placement Examination of Anambra state, the state government had ordered the close down of the school.
The proprietress of the school, Kosisochukwu Igwe in collusion with the PTA teacher, Precious Chibuzo, were said to have taken a photograph of the question paper during the examination, solved questions and supplied answers to the candidates.
The Proprietress, had admitted committing the offence and pleaded for, while the PTA teacher, who had earlier admitted committing the offence has been dismissed from the school.
Speaking to TNC correspondent in Awka, the Education Commissioner, Professor Chuma-Udeh said upon assumption of office, she monitored the 2023 WAEC examinations and observed a lot of issues including results being seized, schools being flagged and students being charged with examination malpractice.
She said when she requested for the dossier of the schools, she found that about 200 schools in the state were flagged for examination malpractice.
“It took me two days to study the dossier and I found out that supervisors were mostly indicted.
“I then decided to dismiss the erstwhile supervisors, especially those that supervised the indicted school and I am recruiting new ones.
“The new ones we are recruiting will be given thorough orientation on issues bordering on exam supervision and malpractice,” she said.
The Commissioner warned that any supervisor found culpable henceforth in any act of examination malpractice, will not only be dismissed from the assignment but also sacked from the state service.
She said; “We want to have an education system that will yield productivity that is measurable and defendable.
“The issue of examination malpractice is a serious concern for us and we are committed as a Ministry, under the able leadership of Mr Governor, Professor Chukwuma Soludo, to tackle it head-on.”
On the complicity of heads of schools in the examination malpractice business, Prof Chuma-Udeh revealed that the Ministry has conducted bio-metrics for all students in schools in the state and it is now easy to know the number of students going for any kind of examination.
“With this, we will no longer have the issue of schools bringing fictitous numbers as candidates for examinations and this will end examination malpractices and the issue of miracle centres in the state,” the commissioner noted.
