The Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Sen. Lekan Balogun, has expressed concern over reported cases of malpractice in the National Examination Council-conducted examinations nationwide.
Oba Balogun, who described the development as a stain on NECO, urged its management to look into it.
The monarch made the observation while playing host to the new South West Zonal Director of the examination body, Mrs Deborah Fukop, who led her management team on a courtesy visit to the monarch to announce her posting to the zone and to seek collaboration with the traditional institution in any area that could enhance the body’s operational efficiency in the zone.
He noted that the strategic position occupied by the examination body as the gatekeepers for the higher institutions across the country confers on it the need to wage war against the vice.
According to him, “The future of this country is in your hands in that whatever you turn out as finished products through our national examination, the Senior Secondary School Certificate Examination (SSSCE), is what our tertiary institutions must, as a compulsion, admit because they must admit students if they don’t want to close down.
“You owe it a duty to give us the best for the sake of our future. The news we normally hear about the conduct of your examinations is not at all cheery, yet it is compulsory that our children pass through you. One cannot but acknowledge the efforts being made to tackle the menace by way of sanctioning schools and some individuals involved; we want you to do more because of our future”, Olubadan stated further.
In her reaction, the Zonal Director, Mrs Deborah Fukop, thanked Olubadan for the frank talk but said, “As much as the observation by the monarch could not be dismissed, the problem of examination malpractices was largely that of the supervisors, who are teachers. They are the ones that compromise on integrity, not the Council.
“We are conscious of our revered father’s observation, and we are not folding arms because of the importance and strategic position we find ourselves in. We cannot afford to fail the country, but our Royal Father would agree with me that we only conduct examinations while our supervisors, who are teachers, are responsible for the execution.
“There are enough mechanisms in place to check malpractices before, during, and after the examinations, but if and when those saddled with the responsibility at any of the stages compromise the system, we become helpless. Nevertheless, we are up and doing as we give sanctions to schools and individuals found culpable, as remarked by Your Imperial Majesty”, Mrs Fukop explained.
Calling for the collaboration of all the stakeholders with the examination body, she maintained that everybody must be conscious of the need for integrity and come to the realisation that whatever is done to compromise the examination system is a crime against the country.
She thanked His Majesty for the opportunity given to pay the visit, his admonition, and his readiness to support the zone to achieve success, just as she pledged to put up her best by upholding the core values of the examination body towards the realisation of the vision and mission of the body.
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