President Bio speaks tough on examination malpractice at the start of the new academic year

“Ladies and Gentlemen, despite our commitment to the Free Quality Education Programme, the issue of examination malpractice has triggered a national debate bringing our educational system into disrepute.

“Parents, Teachers and Pupils all have responsibilities to ensure we curb examination malpractice. Parents who give monies to their children to engage in examination malpractice are as guilty as teachers who receive such monies to aid examination practice and pupils who participate in the malpractice.

“Examination malpractice destroys the soul of our education system and we must all support the current efforts by the Anti-Corruption Commission to pursue all those involved in examination malpractice. However, those efforts by the Anti-Corruption Commission must be within the law, adhere to due process and respect human rights.

“As a Government we have engaged in heightened and robust monitoring of all public examinations which has led to the uncovering of this huge scale of examination malpractice.

“Therefore, as immediate steps to address examination malpractice, I wish to announce the following

First, all those caught or suspected of examination malpractice should be prosecuted without delay or exemption; second, any teacher or school head caught and prosecuted should be terminated from service; and thirdly, all centers suspected of examination malpractice should have their results cancelled.

“Under this Government, examination malpractice will no longer be a way of life for parents, teachers and pupils.”