Examination Malpractices in Private schools in Uganda
Introduction
Examination Malpractice is defined as any deliberate act of wrong doing, contrary to the rules of examinations designed to give a candidate an unfair advantage or able frequently, to place a candidate at a disadvantage. Malpractice therefore introduces equities into the examination system. In some examinations, the level of malpractice is so high that it seriously undermines the credibility of the examination system.
It is claimed that private schools in Uganda engage in examination malpractices because getting good results is a way of advertising their schools to potential students. It is argued that some private schools get involved in this vice because they are business ventures seeking to make more money. Apparently some private schools are ready to cheat and achieve success at all cost. The perception of students in faith-based private schools shows a significantly higher level of opposition to cheating in examination compared to non-faith or secular based private schools. Faith based private school population is less likely to cheat on the examination compared to non-faith-based private schools that are strongly disposed to it.
A very high proportion of students in non-faith basedprivate schools feel examination malpractice is justified and should be taken as a normal thing as many teachers, examination venue, parents, and society at large encourage it. The proportion of students in secular private schools who reported that only those who cheat obtain high scores in internal and external examinations was 72% while the proportion that made the same claim in faith-based private schools was only 22%.
With regards to teacher qualification, it was discovered that 82% of students in secular private schools with no qualified teachers reported that only people who cheat have high scores in internal and external examinations compared to 48% of those with qualified teachers. Also, 40% of students in faithbased private schools with no qualified teachers reported the same compared to 14 % of those with qualified teachers. A very high proportions (95%) of students in faith based private schools with qualified teachers reported they were ready to join a special squad to fight against examination malpractice compared to 72% of those with no qualified teachers. Also, 37% of students in secular private schools with qualified teachers reported the same willingness to join the squad compared to 18% of students with no qualified teachers. Thus, the availability of qualified teachers in faith-based and secular private schools appears to influence the perception of lower grade students regarding examination malpractice.
Forms of Examination
Malpractice
The following are some identified forms of
examinations malpractice:
-
Leakage: This
means that the content of examination or part of it is disclosed prior to
taking the examination.
-
Impersonation:
An individual who is not registered as a candidate takes the place of one that
is registered.
-
External
Assistance: Individuals who are not examination candidates giving
unauthorized assistance to candidates. Usually this involves invigilators (exam
room supervisors) dictating answers, writing answers on the black boards,
calculating sheets of worked out answers during the course of the examinations
or acting as couriers of materials into the examination center. In some instance
entering helpers here used phones or broadcast answers.
-
Smuggling
of foreign materials: This is perhaps the most common form of malpractice.
It relates to the introduction of unauthorized materials (e.g. note books, crib
notes, charts and answers) into the examination hall. Material is frequently
smuggled in pants, shoes, hems and bras or information is written on parts of
the body.
-
Copying:
Reproduction of another candidate work with or without permissions.
-
Collusion:
Unauthorized passing of information between candidates usually by exchanging
notes or scripts.
-
Intimidation:
Examinations official including supervisors and makers of papers are physically
threatened. Usually involves people seeking support for individual candidates.
Candidates here also placed weapons in clear view of supervisors to intimidate
them. Substitution of scripts, replacing answer sheets handed out during the
course of examination. Usually involves examination office officials, invigilators
and some teachers working outside the examination room.
-
Improper
Assignment: Deliberate placing of candidate in centers under the
supervising of corrupt officials. This is perpetrated by examination officers
and examination officials of ministries of Education and representatives of
examination bodies.
-
Ghost
Centers: Fictitious examination centers. This is established by corrupt
examination officials where candidates can complete the examination with the
support of helpers and without supervision.
-
Makers
Malpractice: Deliberate alteration of marks designed to inflate or deflate
a candidate’s original mark. This can be initiated by examination officials, by
candidates (making contract with the makers) or making contracts with the
candidates.
-
Awards and
Certification: Deliberate alteration of. In the past usually confined to
examinations officials but in more recent years include printers and candidates
with high level of skills in technology.
Causes of Examination
Malpractice
The idea that, in Uganda, Education certificate is most important than the
skills to deliver is what prompted most students into malpractice so as to have
the required certificate to be there. Therefore, the following could be
advanced as reasons why we have examination malpractice in our educational
system:
-
High
Stakes of Examinations: Success in an examination can have profound,
immediate and long term impact on a candidate’s life. In Uganda, examination
success and secondary school graduation represents the whole avenue for poor
students to secure a non menial job. Many parents are seen to resort to various
corrupt practices to ensure that there children “PASS” the public examination.
-
Teacher
and School Status: In many instance, teachers and school reputations
depends on the success of students in public examinations, this is particularly
true where official or un-official school position in external examinations are
published. There is also the problem of prizes awarded to wining schools or
individual subject teachers which triggers malpractice from both school
administrators and teachers.
-
Personality
Disposition: Some students are more prone to cheating than others,
because they are either lazy or dubious.
-
Desire of
some parents to place their children: Some parents would blindly
want their children to get into lucrative courses like medicine, accountancy,
etc. as such would collide with any person who can at all cost get their
children the required credits.
-
Inadequate
School Facilities and Teachers: Textbooks shortages, inadequate teacher
training, teacher absence from work, teacher lacking subject matter competency,
strikes and frequent schools closure are common features of education in
Uganda. Parents and students may perceive conditions of learning to be so
inadequate that they have little option than the resort to unfair means to
increase the likelihood that the student will pass the examination.
-
Inadequacies
of the Examinations: Where the standard aimed at is too high or
obscure, teachers and students may lose confidence in their abilities to master
the material. In such instance, students may resort to smuggling materials such
as textbooks and notes in the examinations room.
-
Location
of Examination Centers: Remote centers tend to receive materials in
advance, thus increasing the opportunity of gaining access to examination
papers. Due to distance or remoteness of the centers, proper supervision cannot
be done as such any corrupt practice can be committed.
-
Low Salary
Levels: Salary levels of teachers, examination officials and examination
supervisors are frequently below the poverty line. In such instance bribes from
parents may probe irrestible.
-
Respect
for Certificate: The society regards possession of certificate as
Alfa and Omega where an individual is only recognized if he possesses a certain
certificate built professionals skills are not recognized.
-
Threats
and Intimidation from Parents: Parents especially from private
schools and specialized schools, threaten proprietors of withdrawal of children
or closure of schools if their children do not make excellent results.
-
Quota
system: Quota system are always applied to determine pass rate, where
students perceive that success is independent on the number of available places
rather than on attaining a given level of performance they may conclude that
success is due to factor beyond their control. They may feel that success
cannot be guaranteed by hard work and become poorly motivated. They are poorly
prepared for examination; they may see little alternative to resorting to
malpractice.
The Consequences of
Examination Malpractice
The consequences of examination malpractice both
to education and the society will be catastrophic in the long run
candidates/students who would ordinarily be working hard to pass examination
will now depend on quack arrangement. Since such arrangements rarely failed.
Then the fraud or malpractice may eventually be seen as a way of academic
exercise. The candidates produced in this manner will grow into adults and
teachers or examinations officials who will not see anything wrong with such
sophisticated and high class examination fraud thus defeating the goals of
education by turning out certificated illiterates.
Examination malpractice increases lack of
confidence among students. Students who would have ordinarily passed an
examination feel disappointed and loss of confidence when less intelligent ones
perform better than them through cheating, thus leading to loss of confidence
in themselves and in the examination and the system at large.
Examinations malpractice may lure some students
into other areas of misconducts such as prostitutions and or armed robbery,
female students who lack money to fund external assistance or pay for scores
may take prostitution while male may as well take stealing or armed robbery in
a bid to make money to pay for scores.
-
The products of examinations malpractice are square pegs in round holes.
They lack the required knowledge and experience to carry out their assignment
and professional duties effectively.
-
Examinations malpractice produce candidates with low moral and academic
values.
-
The products of examination malpractice always end up with unfulfilled
dreams in their chosen career
-
Examinations malpractice is a negative orientation for future leaders
who may end up being fraudulent and corrupt in their various offices.
-
Anyone who engages in examinations malpractice is building on a false
foundation which can led to serious professional errors.
The causes could be attributed to the behavior of
examiners, parents, schools administration and system. The consequences could
be catastrophic to both education system would turn out the society
certificated illiterates. There is need for a shared commitment to fight
examination fraud because at the end of the day it has or is backfired on the
nation’s general service delivery and sometimes on our individual lives and
communities.
Suggestions
1. Sound
educational policy should be put in place with de-emphasis on the supremacy of
certificates over skills and professional competence.
2. Appointment of supervisors of proven integrity
and who are independent of the examinations centers.
3. The remuneration of invigilators and
supervisors should be attractable that would not allow one to think of taking
bribe to add to his earnings.The invigilation and supervisory committee of the
examination board should include the private schools stakeholders because both
have different interests and experiences at a particular time.
4. Ensure that only formally registered candidates
sit for the examination.
5. Religious and community leaders should be used
to intervene on parents who insist on their children getting the best result
without genuine efforts for it.
6. Prohibit the use of electronic devices
including cellular phones and IPADS
7. School teachers should be motivated and
remunerated adequately and learning environment made friendly so that they can
do their work satisfactorily and cover the syllabus before examinations.
Monitoring and Evaluation of national schools syllabus is needed per each
candidate school.
8. There should frequent unannounced random
visits by officials of examination centers and erring centers should be
punished.
9. The rigidity and timing of examinations should
be reviewed in a such a way that when a student complained genuinely that he
cannot write an examination another time suitable should be organized for him,
this will eliminate the phobia of failure which may result in malpractice.
10.There should be a special commission and squad
to fight examination malpractice be set up by private schools with students as
active members. The commission and squad if formed would assist in enlightening
students, parents, and the society on the ills of examination malpractice and
possibly how to overcome them.
Uganda National Association of Private Schools and
Institutions
P.O.Box 29324 Kampala, Uganda, Email: unaph22@yahoo.com
, www.unapsi.org
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