A university Don, Professor Femi Okiremuette Shaka, has applauded the Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Ezenwo Wike, for making the education sector top in his list of priorities.
Professor Shaka gave the applause recently while presenting a paper titled “Examination Malpractices in Nigerian Universities” at a workshop organised by the Examination and Time Table Committee at Ignatius Ajuru University of Education Auditorium.
The Professor of Film Studies also commended the Governor for the provision of equipment needed to facilitate the teaching and learning process, as well as for prompt and regular payment of salaries of staff of IAUE.
He disclosed that lecturers in other Universities have died as a result of hardship occasioned by non-payment of salaries for months and enjoined IAUE lecturers to appreciate the Governor’s love for the education sector.
Shaka described the theme of the workshop, “Modalities in Examination Writing, Conducts and Invigilation in Nigerian Universities”, as apt, timely and topical and identified perversion of the social value system of the country as one of the factors influencing examination malpractice.
He expressed dismay that corruption has led to so much perversion of the social value system that Nigerian youths no longer believe in the ethics of hard-work.
The Guest Lecturer included much emphasis on paper qualifications in the Nigerian labour market as another factor, hinting that in Europe and North America, employers are concerned about the value chain that an employee brings to the establishment or firm.
Employers in these countries, he said, “are interested in the portfolios of employees in terms of what they have done in the past or capable of contributing to the vision of the establishment or firm.”
The Varsity Don expressed regret that employment in Nigeria is based on social connection or on godfatherism, noting that “since value systems are upside down in Nigeria, most youths in tertiary institutions have imbibed the corrupt attitude of passing their courses by any means necessary”.
According to Shaka, “any country that has a high prevalence of examination malpractice stands to lose its international credibility as certificates emanating from such a country would be treated with suspicion and doubt”.
He said the spate of malpractices in the health sector and miscarriages of justice by the Judiciary, mindless looting of the public treasury, electoral fraud, regular collapse of buildings designed by engineers and architects, sale of fake drugs by pharmacists all have their roots in an educational system bedeviled by examination malpractice.
While highlighting the implications of examination malpractice, that are overwhelming with grave consequences, the lecturer from the University of Port Harcourt reiterated that the trend will not only make a mockery of educational qualifications and discredit institutions of higher learning in Nigeria, “but the ripple effect would be that the future development of the country would be placed in the hands of half-baked and incompetent graduates”.
He stressed the need to embark on a moral and ethical reorientation in order to stem the tide of moral decay in the Nigerian University system to bring credibility to the system.
This, he argued, can be achieved with the establishment of a Directorate for moral orientation that would draw up ethical codes of behaviour for staff and students with sanctions for the violation of the ethical codes well spelt out with appropriate penalties.
Prof. Shaka also recommended setting up of a platform for regular interactions between the University Management, parents and guardians of students to update parents of the progress reports on their children.