Education

Leaked WASSCE papers: Website operator threatens PUNCHman

Published

6 years ago

April 26, 2018

“Hello dear,

You have done your part. Nice investigation. Now, its (sic) my turn to do my thing. Mind people you step into (sic)… you are in Nigeria, not USA. Expect us. Thank you.” That was the message sent to Punch correspondent around 1pm on Wednesday after a report on exam malpractice being perpetrated in the ongoing West African Senior School Certificate Examination was published.

The sender’s identity number was encrypted as ‘CRACK MIND.’ PUNCH Metro had reported about how some pupils sitting the WASSCE being administered by the West African Examination Council cheated by subscribing to answer-peddling websites. The websites, which boasted of getting questions prior to the time of the exams, advertised various rates for different subjects and urged pupils to subscribe in bulk to get discounts. Testimonials of candidates who got excellent results after using the services of the operators were displayed on the sites.

Punch correspondent had subscribed to five different websites for answers to the Commerce exam which was written on Tuesday.The websites are examcrown.com, examsort.com, naijaclass.com, waecexpo.com and guruslodge.com The operators of the sites demanded that MTN recharge cards be sent to their phone numbers, which are 09069072051, 07063609771, 08167593558, 07032581573 and 08154766482.

They demanded N400 for link to the answer websites and N800 for direct SMS of the answers to candidates’ phones.

While examcrown and examsort later resorted to Internet bulk SMS, using their codenames, EXAMCROWN and EXAMSORT, to update our correspondent, others used telephone numbers, including 08101038699, 07068088239.True to their words, the websites delivered answers to both the objective and theory questions through text messages and their portals.Shortly after the findings of PUNCH Metro were published on Wednesday, one of the website operators threatened to deal with our correspondent for writing the report.

The Ogun State Police Public Relations Officer, Abimbola Oyeyemi, asked our correspondent to report the threat to the nearest police station. He said although the sender’s contact was encrypted, the police could investigate and get all the suspects arrested.

The Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer, SP Chike Oti, said the threat should not be taken lightly.

He said, “I have informed the state Commissioner of Police, Edgal Imohimi, about your case and he has asked that you come to the command to report for investigation to begin into the matter. Upon their arrest, their activities will be revealed. That way, we will be able to annul their plans. Threats should not be taken lightly because a lot of journalists have been killed this way.” Meanwhile, some readers of PUNCH Online have blamed WAEC for the leakage of exam questions, saying the body should check itself.

A poster, who identified herself only as Abigail, said WAEC officials sometime sent account numbers to school owners, demanding kickbacks. She said, “Candidates are patronising the sites as a result of the high level of corruption among WAEC officials, supervisors and invigilators (teachers). What can one say about officials sending their account numbers to proprietors and principals of some private schools just for the purpose of aiding malpractice; supervisors also collecting bribes to aid malpractice; invigilators are not left out of the mess.

“If these people can perform their duties with the fear of God, the operators of those sites will have no choice but to close down and look for something else to do. In addition, I want to strongly suggest that emphasis should not be placed on O’ Level results for the purpose of admission into higher institutions pending the time we will get it right as a nation.” A reader, Madukanaya, alleged that some WAEC workers leaked the answers to their children, friends and relatives, adding that examination malpractice was at the root of corruption in Nigeria.

A poster with the alias, Something there is, urged the exam body to grill its workers.

“The question is that how did the websites get hold of the exam questions before the exam day? Why not check WAEC board itself and you’ll be surprised about the mess going on there. The websites do not set the questions, then how do they get them if WAEC officials are not involved?” he queried.

One Jed said a recent remark by President Muhammadu Buhari that youths in the country were lazy might be true. “The President may be right by saying some youths don’t like hard work but want everything free. Yes, they want free excellent results with nothing in their brains. Aren’t they truly lazy? “This is appalling; appropriate authorities must rise and save our educational system from total collapse,” the writer said.

Another reader, Ahmad Kehinde, said examination malpractice had got to its peak.

“This is the level of decadence we have sunk into in this country. It’s both sad and appalling! The blame should rest squarely on WAEC Nigeria because the spokesperson admitted that they were aware of the various sites and have not been able to do anything about them! That is damning! Government should step in quickly to dislodge these evil-minded criminals. This new exam malpractice tendency is killing the scholarly values in our young ones, especially among the private school students,” another commentator, Adestar, said.

The spokesperson for WAEC, Demianus Ojijeogu, denied that officials of the organisation were involved in the malpractice. He explained that the website operators had continued to multiply due to lack of deterrents. He said, “The security agencies have been involved (in the fight against examination malpractice). The police paraded six suspects last year in Abuja. Those people keep multiplying and the ones that are arrested are granted bail and released after some people beg for them. And that will be the end of the case. “It is not true that our officials are involved. We have done soul-searching. This thing did not start this year. I am involved in this whole process and can authoritatively say that our workers are not involved. If they were, they (the website operators) will be getting the papers a day or two to the exams.”

Education

Federal Government Sets To Commence School-To-Work Scheme

Published

2 weeks ago

May 3, 2024

Alice Ginika Simon

The Federal Government says plans are underway to launch a school-to-work scheme to enable youths to become productive and self-employed.

The Executive Secretary of Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC), Dr. Hamid Bobboyi disclosed this in Abuja during a meeting with Commissioners of Education, Executive State and FCT Universal Basic Chairmen, Education Boards and UBEC on the School-to-Work Scheme.

Bobboyi in his keynote address, disclosed that the target group for the scheme are learners in the junior secondary schools. He added that it will provide them the opportunity to detect early in life where their talents and potential lie, between academic pursuit and vocational skills development.

Explaining how the Scheme will run, the UBEC Boss stated that it is structured to provide at least six months training, broken into two months per year of study in the junior secondary school.

Also speaking, the Director Basic Education, Federal Ministry of Education, Dr. Folake Davies, stated that the Scheme which is inline with the road map policy of the ministry, is designed to provide youths with the requisite experience necessary to excel whenever they find themselves in the working environment.

The Director, who was represented by Rose Onoja stated that only collaborative effort from the Federal, State, and Local Government levels and active involvement from the private sector will make the implementation of the program successful. Liberate actions to mitigate the living conditions of their constituents.

Education

Fake University Degree Holders Soon To Be Fished Out And Arrested – Minister Of Education Announces

Published

1 month ago

April 3, 2024

Alice Ginika Simon

The Minister of Education, Prof. Tahir Mamman, on Tuesday, said security agencies will go after individuals with fake university certificates in the country.

According to the minister, the individuals will be tracked after the committee set up by the Federal Government to investigate the activities of university certificate racketeers in the country submits its report.

The Federal Government had set up an Inter-Ministerial Investigative Committee on Degree Certificate Milling to probe the activities of certificate racketeers following an investigative report published by Daily Nigerian which exposed the activities of degree mills in the Benin Republic.

The investigative report, which exposed the illegalities perpetrated by some tertiary institutions in the West African countries, led to the Nigerian government placing a ban on the accreditation and evaluation of degrees from Benin Republic and Togo.

The committee set up by the Federal Government was also tasked with investigating Nigerian private universities established in the last 15 years. Recently, the committee invited memoranda from the public. Selected members of the committee also visited institutions in the Benin Republic.

While speaking at the first quarterly citizens engagement in Abuja on Tuesday, the education minister, Mamman, said;

“On the issue of the fake degrees, we set up a committee and we expect them to submit their reports soon. Once the report is submitted, I can assure you that individuals with fake certificates will be apprehended. They will be tracked by security agencies.”

Also speaking at the engagement, the Minister of State for Education, Dr. Tanko Sununu, noted that the quarterly citizenship engagement was aimed at creating awareness of the activities of the ministry.

He noted that the engagement would “ also promote mutual understanding with stakeholders and citizens, build and sustain public trust, and improve transparency and accountability in the sector.”

“Worthy of mention is that this engagement also aims to improve efficiency and streamline government operations by identifying and addressing bottlenecks,” Sununu said.

Education

Stakeholders Head To Enugu For First South East Educators Conference

Published

2 months ago

March 16, 2024

Alice Ginika Simon

Stakeholders in the education circle are warming up for the maiden edition of Southeast Educators’ Conference 2024(SEEC’24).

The two-day SEEC’24 scheduled to hold 18th & 19th, April 2024 at Nike Lake Resort, Enugu under theme: Future-‘Focused Learning – Igniting the Competitive Edge’

Promises to host key players in the education sector with a potential attendance of over 500 delegates.
The conference will feature a diverse lineup of speakers, covering topics ranging from holistic learning approaches to cutting-edge technology integration.

Speaking ahead of the conference, Mrs Doris Chinedu-Okoro,CEO, Evergreen Group, said SEEC’24 is the first of its kind in the Southeast region, presenting a historic opportunity for stakeholders to pioneer positive change in the local education sector.
“It brings together diverse perspectives and innovative ideas,fostering collaboration and networking among educators and stakeholders.
Hundreds of delegates will be in attendance.
“SEEC’24 is dedicated to exploring transformative practices, emphasising holistic learning, technology integration, globalcitizenship, life-long learning, and community engagement”, she said.

Mr. Osita Chidioka, the former Nigeria’s Minister of Aviation, who recently launched an online mentorship and leadership programme for Nigerian youths named Mekaria Mentorship Programme (MMP) Foundation Course, will deliver the keynote at SEEC’24.

Prof. Pieter Verdegem; Dr. Joy Isa, Mrs. Bukola Adewuiyi, Lady Uju Dike, Fr. John Njorteah, Alex Onyia, Rotimi Eyitayo, Rhoda Odigboh, Elfrida Diete-Spiff Omole, Dr. ChibuezeLawrence Ofobuike, Ify Obidi-Essien, Dr. Abimbola Ogundere, Angelina Ikeako, Odetola Ebenezer Israel and OgochukwuOnyia, are some of the speakers lined up for the event.

The Evergreen Group CEO added that the conference thrives on a vision to create a dynamic platform that equips educators with the tools and knowledge needed to make a lasting impact on the educational landscape of South-Eastern Nigeria.

SEEC’24 is open to School Owners, Heads of Schools (Public and Private), Educational Stakeholders, Counselors, Teachers, Parents, Investors, Startups, and others in the education ecosystem.
“Participants will have the opportunity to engage in two full days of conference sessions, diving deep into the future of Education.
“There will be ample networking opportunities with school leaders from across the geopolitical zone and beyond.
“The evening Gala Night promises a delightful atmosphere for dancing, dining, wining, and fostering deeper connections in a relaxed setting”, she further explained.

Registration is N100,000 via: https://bit.ly/3uTcv9e