The Rivers State Director
of the National Orientation Agency (NOA), Mr Oliver Wolugbom, has blame relevant examination councils including the West African Examination Council (WAEC) for the increasing rate of examination malpractices in Nigeria and including the state.
Wolugbom who disclosed this last Tuesday, in a chat with The Tide in Port Harcourt noted with dismay the appointment of supervisors not on merit and competency but on who will make the highest returns to the council.
According to him “before now exam supervisors and invigilators were appointed from the hierarchy of senior civil servants such as Principal of schools, Assistant Directors etc to supervise and invigilate students in WAEC and Jamb but these days, it is no longer like that. They are people who are not civil servants yet  good at collecting bribes from students and  parents”.
Blaming parents and teachers for aiding exam malpractices both in internal and external exams, Wolugbom said “some teachers and parents even initiate the malpractice process by luring supervisors and invigilators to accept bribes to pass their children and wards even when the children do not want it”.
Wolugbom also faulted the government for its failure to implement laws that would provide penalties for culprits of examination malpractices adding that such laws if implemented and executed properly would reduced the malpractices, an  act which he said had reduced the nations quality of education.
“Also if examination councils will for once rise up to the occasion and sanction any supervisor or invigilator caught in the web of exam malpractices,  it will serve as a detterrant to others in the system, moreso, exam councils should begin to enthrust supervising works to mature and age civil servants who value good names more than money,” he stated.
While reiterating the agency’s commitment to ensuring better orientation and awareness to schools particularly the rural schools for compulsory national obligation to improving quality education in the state, the NOA director however warned that there is penalty for any public institution without the nation’s flag.
In his words “the agency is frequently embarking on national orientation in schools, public offices and organisations, calling on the governments and public institutions to maintain all the compulsory and necessary national obligations and assignments to boost the nation’s image and integrity.
Wolugbom further advised all national institutions and organizations to ensure that the national flag be changed every year for its cleanliness as against the usual dirty and zig-zag looks it assumes in most of these institutions.

Enoch Epelle