As means of checking
the spate of examination malpractice in the state, the Rivers State Government has inaugurated Examination Ethics Marshalls.
The inauguration which took place at the Alfred Diete-Spiff Sports Complex  recently was part of the induction ceremony of the marshalls.
In her speech at the induction ceremony, the State Commissioner for Education, Dame Alice Lawrence Nemi highlighted the commitment of the State Government in the promotion of best practices and integrity during the conduct of both internal and external examinations.
She also noted the state’s determination to go beyond merely building schools to ensuring that the products of such schools were of world standard.
“As a state that is very committed to the promotion of both practices and integrity in the conduct of our examinations and in line with our mission statement of providing qualitative and sound education in the state, we are now resolved to go even further in stamping out the scourge of examination misconduct in Rivers State.
“The State Government is not only building schools, but we are also committed in raising a new breed of future leaders with character and learning through entrenching of ethics, integrity and best practices.
Dame Lawrence-Nemi stated that her ministry had introduced “many avenues to curb the menance of examination malpractices in the state.”
One of such avenues, she said was the clamp down on several acclaimed “miracle centres” and insistence on the registration of what she called the “right-candidates” for examinations in the state.
According to her, since these actions were taken, “the state has recorded great improvement in the rebirth of our students in external examinations, especially the WAEC.”
The commissioner charged the Marshalls to live up to the expectations of the oath they took, stating that the ministry would punish any Marshall found guilty of examination malpractice.
Also speaking, Chairman of the Examination Ethics Marshalls International (EEMI), Ike Onyechene, said the organization has over 100,000 Marshalls across many African countries, including Nigeria, Ghana, Cameroon, Tanzania, Republic of Benin.
He said more are being formed with the goal of deploying one million marshals in Africa by 2015.