Nigeria’s FG Warns Parents, Teachers, Proprietors, Students Against Examination Malpractice

The Federal Government has warned parents, teachers, school proprietors, principals, invigilators and students against examination malpractice.

In a statement on Thursday, Ikharo Attah, the Special Adviser (Media and Communications) to the Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, said the Federal Government has introduced measures to strengthen examination integrity in line with President Bola Tinubu’s commitment to restoring standards and repositioning Nigeria’s education system.

Attah quoted Alausa as having issued the warning at a meeting with the National Association of Proprietors of Private Schools (NAPPS) and other stakeholders in the education sector.

Alausa said examination malpractice had become deeply entrenched, creating an unfair environment for students who prepare honestly for their examinations.

He noted that the practice not only distorts results but also disadvantages hard-working students and undermines confidence in the qualifications awarded by the nation’s education system.

The minister stressed that tackling the problem requires collective responsibility across the education system, noting that students are not the only actors involved in examination malpractice.

He called on parents, teachers, proprietors, principals, invigilators and other stakeholders to uphold examination rules, provide the right learning environment and discourage practices that give candidates unfair access to examination materials.

Alausa said the Federal Government was strengthening examination administration to make public examinations more secure and ensure that results reflect genuine learning and merit.

According to him, the measures form part of the wider education sector reforms of the Tinubu administration aimed at improving standards, strengthening accountability and rebuilding trust in Nigeria’s assessment system.

Meanwhile, the Minister of State for Education, Suwaiba Ahmad, has urged private school proprietors and other stakeholders to support the reforms, noting that stronger examination controls could initially expose gaps in students’ actual preparation.

Ahmad explained that some students who perform exceptionally well in internal examinations may have become accustomed to accessing leaked questions ahead of external examinations, leaving them less prepared when such avenues are closed.

She said the introduction of serialised examination questions would make reliance on leaked materials more difficult and reinforce the need for students to prepare genuinely for examinations.

The minister urged schools to complete the curriculum on schedule and encourage consistent study, while assuring private education stakeholders that the Ministry would continue to engage and support them throughout the implementation of the reforms.

She said the ultimate goal is to ensure that examination results provide a credible measure of students’ knowledge and abilities.