JAMB, Mmesoma and the new face of exam malpractice
It is often said that crime, criminal activity, and criminals are a step or two ahead of the law, law enforcement, and law enforcement officers or agencies. Thus, the latter must often undertake to catch up with the former. Everyone agrees that prevention is better than cure and being proactive is far better and cheaper than closing the feeder after the horse has run away but technology now appears to be a double edged sword which does not make the fight any easier against crime. A recent example is the education sector where the scourge of exam malpractice has taken on a new dimension. Back when I was in high school in the 1970s, the biggest malpractice in exams was the leaking of exam papers, infamously known as "orijo", a corrupt form of the word 'original' which meant that the leaked paper in your hand was genuine or original and not fake because at that time many leaked papers also turned out to be fake and those who bought them were cringing in the room exam! Reviews are still leaking but cheating technology is more advanced these days; the impunity with which the criminal activity is carried out and the caliber of those involved defy belief.
Teachers are bribed to help students in exam halls or to look away or walk around while hired mercenaries are at work. Anyone who does not cooperate is at risk. In many cases, the authorities themselves are known to encourage malpractice in examinations so that their students can be considered to have the best results locally and nationally; particularly where a reward or remuneration is attached. States with the best result in a particular examination, for example; students with the best result in this or that outcome is another example of the competition that has fueled the desperation of those involved. Parents have also been known to not only buy "orijos" for their wards, but also enroll them in "special centers" where students are helped for a fee; they were also caught going straight to the exam rooms to personally and physically take their department exams.
Then there are those for whom exam malpractice is a lucrative business; the avalanche of study centers and TCCs everywhere is not only because of the love for education, but because of the "killing" that can be done there. This is not to deny that there are honest study and CBT centers, but the few bad eggs among them, coupled with the desperation of exam takers and admissions applicants, have compromised the sanctity many examinations and questioned the value of many certificates. I do not envy those who have the responsibility of conducting examinations at all levels in this country. Over the past few years I have had the privilege of observing closely the efforts of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) headed by Professor Ishaq Oloyede to cleanse the stable of Augeas from the Board and maintain the character sacred of his exams, he was challenge after challenge. Catching up with reviewing malpractice contractors is hard enough; beating them at their game and doubling ahead of them. The application of advanced technology has been of immense help; ironically, the same technology proved a challenge in that it was also available for deploying exam cheats.
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A trending case is that of a candidate, Ejikeme Joy (now changed to Tristesse?) Mmesoma holding up "best JAMB results" which JAMB says are not from it. In another case, the supposedly top candidate didn't even show up for the JAMB exam in question! JAMB's Public Affairs and Protocol Officer, Dr. Fabian Benjamin, released the following statement: "The attention of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has been drawn to several publications in print and online media celebrating some candidates for achieving high scores in the UTME 2023. The Board is compelled to set the record straight and would like to state unequivocally that many of the results that many of these candidates are laying out are bogus (results). In many cases, some of these contestants had actually scored far lower than they claimed and had used fun software to manipulate their results in order to fool unsuspecting members of the public. case of Miss Ejikeme Joy Mmesoma who claimed to have scored 362 in the UTME 2023 and was awarded the N3m scholarship by Chief (Dr) Innocent Chukwuma She was even to be honored by the Anambra State Government when a of his senior officials called JAMB to confirm...
It is often said that crime, criminal activity, and criminals are a step or two ahead of the law, law enforcement, and law enforcement officers or agencies. Thus, the latter must often undertake to catch up with the former. Everyone agrees that prevention is better than cure and being proactive is far better and cheaper than closing the feeder after the horse has run away but technology now appears to be a double edged sword which does not make the fight any easier against crime. A recent example is the education sector where the scourge of exam malpractice has taken on a new dimension. Back when I was in high school in the 1970s, the biggest malpractice in exams was the leaking of exam papers, infamously known as "orijo", a corrupt form of the word 'original' which meant that the leaked paper in your hand was genuine or original and not fake because at that time many leaked papers also turned out to be fake and those who bought them were cringing in the room exam! Reviews are still leaking but cheating technology is more advanced these days; the impunity with which the criminal activity is carried out and the caliber of those involved defy belief.
Teachers are bribed to help students in exam halls or to look away or walk around while hired mercenaries are at work. Anyone who does not cooperate is at risk. In many cases, the authorities themselves are known to encourage malpractice in examinations so that their students can be considered to have the best results locally and nationally; particularly where a reward or remuneration is attached. States with the best result in a particular examination, for example; students with the best result in this or that outcome is another example of the competition that has fueled the desperation of those involved. Parents have also been known to not only buy "orijos" for their wards, but also enroll them in "special centers" where students are helped for a fee; they were also caught going straight to the exam rooms to personally and physically take their department exams.
Then there are those for whom exam malpractice is a lucrative business; the avalanche of study centers and TCCs everywhere is not only because of the love for education, but because of the "killing" that can be done there. This is not to deny that there are honest study and CBT centers, but the few bad eggs among them, coupled with the desperation of exam takers and admissions applicants, have compromised the sanctity many examinations and questioned the value of many certificates. I do not envy those who have the responsibility of conducting examinations at all levels in this country. Over the past few years I have had the privilege of observing closely the efforts of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) headed by Professor Ishaq Oloyede to cleanse the stable of Augeas from the Board and maintain the character sacred of his exams, he was challenge after challenge. Catching up with reviewing malpractice contractors is hard enough; beating them at their game and doubling ahead of them. The application of advanced technology has been of immense help; ironically, the same technology proved a challenge in that it was also available for deploying exam cheats.
Similar Items
A trending case is that of a candidate, Ejikeme Joy (now changed to Tristesse?) Mmesoma holding up "best JAMB results" which JAMB says are not from it. In another case, the supposedly top candidate didn't even show up for the JAMB exam in question! JAMB's Public Affairs and Protocol Officer, Dr. Fabian Benjamin, released the following statement: "The attention of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has been drawn to several publications in print and online media celebrating some candidates for achieving high scores in the UTME 2023. The Board is compelled to set the record straight and would like to state unequivocally that many of the results that many of these candidates are laying out are bogus (results). In many cases, some of these contestants had actually scored far lower than they claimed and had used fun software to manipulate their results in order to fool unsuspecting members of the public. case of Miss Ejikeme Joy Mmesoma who claimed to have scored 362 in the UTME 2023 and was awarded the N3m scholarship by Chief (Dr) Innocent Chukwuma She was even to be honored by the Anambra State Government when a of his senior officials called JAMB to confirm...
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