CAUSES OF EXAMINATION MALPRACTICE/UNFAIR MEANS
Education System:
The education system is
the instrument a society uses to equip all its people to lead productive public
lives and full personal lives according to their talent and interest. This
system must be such that gifted individuals have full opportunity to develop
their skills; it must give scope for the training of a leadership group and at
the same time provide for the development of all the vocational abilities
needed for the creation of a progressive and democratic society.
The quality of education
that we impart to our youth and the priority at which we rate it contribute
largely to the formation of the attitudes they carry over into public
life. So whatever kind of seed we sow in
the classroom, the manner in which we nurture it and the strength which it imbibes in its various
stages of growth will all determine the harvest that the nation will reap in
the form of its educated youth coming out of the schools, colleges and
universities. The imprints of these institutions of learning will become
indelible marks clearly visible in all fields of our national life; be it a
clerk in an office, a soldier in the battle field, a school master in a village
school, a University Professor, a bureaucrat running the administration in a
seat of power. This great impact of education on the national character is
understandable once we recognise both the short term as well as long term power
education wields over all who go through its process. Historical evidence
proves that nations were made or unmade, battles lost and won, revolution
wrought, so much so that entire empires collapsed or emerged due to the
educational systems of various peoples of the World. Ancient
Examination System:
Examination is the pivotal point around which
the whole system of education revolves and the success or failure of the system
of examination is indeed an indicator of the success or failure of that
particular system of education. It would be pertinent to examine the present
system of examination with a view to determine as to whether it actually serves
the purposes it purports to serve. The
two basic assumptions of any examination worth the name are that (a) it should
be valid and (b) it should be reliable. The two are distinct concepts. An examination is said to be valid if it
performs the functions which it is designed to perform. The concept of reliability, of course, refers
to consistency of measurement. In actual fact, the prevailing system of
examination and its mode of conduct defy both these assumptions. The system has
degenerated to an extent that its validity and reliability are questionable. Examination is no longer regarded as a test for evaluating the
performance or judging the scholastic attainment of students. The reason being
that there is a complete breakdown of the whole system of examination, almost
all over the country, and at all level of education.
The use of unfair means in examination has
assumed a plague some proportion. Barring a few institutions, elsewhere in the
country, the educational establishments are experiencing an ever increasing
trend towards the use of unfair means in examinations. Such establishments are
unable to stop this drive. The concerned governments -- Federal as well as
Provincial -- though fully aware of the problem, have failed to take effective
steps towards eradicating this evil. The intensity and pervasiveness of this
problem can be gauged from the fact that apart from the students, some parents
too positively intervene and help and facilitate their children in their
cheating adventures. The use of unfair means in examinations in certain areas
has indeed become a thriving business for the examination mafia.
What is examination malpractice?
Examination malpractice is defined as a
deliberate wrong doing contrary to official examination rules designed to place
a candidate at an unfair advantage or disadvantage.
Examination malpractice is any illegal act committed by a
student single handedly or in collaboration with others like fellow students, parents,
teachers, supervisors, invigilators, printers and anybody or group of people
before, during or after examination in order to obtain undeserved marks or
grades.
The malpractices that is commonly committed in examination:
Range from leakage of question papers to
copying, changing answer books, impersonation, misconduct in examination
centre, approaching invigilators/examiners, making false entries in award list/
examination registers and issuing fake certificate/degrees etc.
Such acts may be broadly categorised as follows
1- Allotment of choice examination centre.
2- Appointment of choice invigilating staff.
3- Leaking information about question papers, identification
of invigilating staff and paper setters/examiners.
4- Bribing/influencing/terrorising examination staff,
invigilators and paper setters/examiners.
5- Possessing cheating material (written/printed/electronic
device etc) or copying from such material.
6- Giving/receiving assistance to copy in examination
centre.
7- Miss-representation/impersonation.
8- Changing/replacing roll numbers and answer books.
9- Disclosing candidates' identity in answer books.
10- Misconduct, carrying offensive weapons, refusing/resisting the
lawful orders of supervisory staff, creating disturbance, instigating other
candidates, threatening or assaulting the invigilating staff, impeding the
progress of examination, in or outside the examination.
11- Smuggling answer books in or outside the examination centre.
12- Addition to answer books after examination.
13- Manipulating marks through fictitious entries in award
list/examination register.
14-
15- Helping the candidates to use unfair means in any form and by
any one in or outside the examination centre.
16- Helping the candidates in viva voce, practical
examination.
17- Attempting or abetting the commission of any of the
afore-said acts.
18- Any other act considered dishonest, unfair, corrupt
etc.
Effects
of Examination malpractice:
§ Discourage
good candidates from studying hard:
Good candidates are tempted to believe ‘if u cannot beat
them, join them’ especially as they see other candidates get away with their corrupt
behaviors. This behavior may be contagious as more and more
candidates tend to join in examination malpractice. They believe that even if
they are caught, they will get away with it and the end will justify the means
·
Denies innocent students’ opportunity for admission:
Many good students have been denied admission by the corrupt
ones who through examination malpractice have better scores and grades. The
best brains that could help in research and development are likely to be thrown
out or frustrated while seeking admission
·
Delays the processing of examination scores and grades:
Every year, many students are caught
for engaging in various examinations malpractices which needs to be investigated before results are released. Though some results are
withheld pending the determination
of the cases, some are decided before results are released.
This extends
processing time.
·
Dissatisfies candidates:
Candidates who possess certificates they cannot defend are
dissatisfied. They have psychological problems arising from the way they
acquired their certificates. In some instances, they will not be bold to
present the certificates because they can be presented with tasks that will
require them to defend the certificates
·
Decreases job efficiency:
This has a serious implication on
the gross domestic product of the country. It also has effect on the general
quality and standard. Imagine the havoc of a half backed medical doctor could
wreck on human lives. What about teachers who cannot competently handle the
subject they are trained to teach. There is a chain effect of examination
malpractices on the educational system and the society as a whole.
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The malpractices in examination have mainly contributed to
the overall deterioration of the standard of education in our country.
The malpractices are commonly committed in examination at
the pre-conduct, conduct and evaluation stages.
Different agents are involved and cause examination
malpractice.
v Malpractices on the part of BISE
§ Allotment of choice examination centers
§ Appointment of choice invigilating staff
§ Supervisory staff is unfairly selected on the basis of
nepotism .They are not devoted to their duties.
§ Poor paper setting: paper setters are mostly untrained and
unaware of modern approaches to assessment. The exam papers are hardly
representative of the entire curriculum.
§ Scoring of papers: Examiners hardly receive any instructions
for scoring the papers, they prefer to check the papers at home and that most
markers mark one paper in only 5 to 10 minutes.
§ Low salary level for invigilators and examination officials.
They are provided with very low facility.
§ Examination centers are without rules .There is no check who
should be allowed and who should not be allowed.
§ Pre planned seating arrangements.
v Parents involvement:
§ Approach invigilating staff
§ Provide bribe and gifts
§ Nepotism also helps them allot
v Material publication:
There are model papers and, guess paper guides available in
the market with ready made answers.
v Negligence of
invigilators:
Teachers/supervisors are non-vigilant during supervision.
They allow mobile, peon, chowkidar, watchman to provide cheating to students.
v High stakes of
examination:
§ Students freely commit unfair means by the force of pistol
and klashankove
v Students personal
factors:
§ Inadequate preparation and desire to pass at all cost. Poor
preparation promotes poor performance.
§ Affected by the previous experiences/ Friends provide them
encouragement.
§ Supported by society
§ Supported by parents
§ High parental expectations.
v Lack of school
resources:
§ Overcrowded examination centers
§ Not enough space
§ Poor seating arrangement
§ No observational strategies
v Defunct security:
§ Police also provide help and unable to ensure security
§ Law enforcing agencies not dealt with impersonation act etc
set the culprit free after taking bribe.
§ Laxity in prosecuting offenders
§ Lack of serious penalty for past offenders.
v Teachers role:
·
Gross inadequacy of qualified
teachers in our schools
·
Lack of devotion to their profession
·
Unawareness towards teaching
learning objectives
·
Not properly trained, no capacity
building
·
Not providing moral training to
students
The resort to copying and use of other unfair
means/ malpractices in examinations is a serious problem. This problem is
symptomatic of a disease in our educational system which is eating into the
vitals of our society. This malaise is harmful for the moral and intellectual
development of our youth. It is afflicting the ethical and social fabric of our
society. This state of affairs must not last for long. There is a dire need for
taking measures to put an end to this evil. One way of dealing with the problem
is to introduce effective and comprehensive legislation, providing for
stringent penalties against the use of unfair means in examinations. This step
was taken recently in our neighbouring country
Management of malpractices in
examination:
Ø More than one set of question paper in each
subject should be generated to create uncertainty as to which paper will be
finally used in the examination.
Ø Multiple sets of question paper may also be
used to ensure that all the students do not get the same question paper.
Ø Question paper may contain space for answering
the question thus eliminating the need for separate answer book.
Ø At present highest attention is paid to the
performance of students in the terminal examinations. This induces a tendency
of last hour preparation in great hurry leaving no scope for digesting the
knowledge. Learning is a continuous process and hence evaluation of learning outcome
must be done on a continuous basis.
Ø Give magisterial powers (including right to
arrest) to examination board officials.
Ø Conduct frequent and unannounced visits to
examination centres.
Ø Conduct a public awareness campaign to
highlight the importance of integrity of the examination system.
Ø Not writing names on answer scripts. Writing
fictitious roll numbers that will be substituted later with the real
candidate’s number.
Ø Adequate sitting arrangement should be provide
during exams to discourage cheating.
Ø National and international examination board
and organization should share information on new threats to examination
security and procedures for counteracting malpractice.
