Our education system is failing our children

By Ruona Agbroko
October 4, 2009 10:28AMT

Within 10 days of each other, Nigeria's two secondary school examination bodies released results of their last examinations to much national anguish.
On September 10, Promise Okpala, chief executive of the National Examinations Council (NECO) announced that only 10% (numbering 126,500) of 1,200,765 candidates who registered for the body's examination passed five subjects, including English and Mathematics.
The nation had hardly recovered from that when the West African Examination Council (WAEC) released its Senior School Certificate Examination results on September 18. Iyi Uwadiae, an official of WAEC said some 25.99% (about 356,981) of 1,373,009 candidates achieved five credits including English and Mathematics.
The minimum result for admission into the nation's universities is five credits, including English Language and Mathematics. Students have been known to make up for shortfalls by using results from both NECO and WAEC to put in their admission applications.

Exam malpractice as culprit

Yusuf Ari,a spokesperson for WAEC told NEXT in a telephone interview last Friday, said that the examination body cannot be blamed for the mass failure.
He said: "WAEC is just an assessment body that gives you standardized tests, and our examiners access you. Generally, from one exam to the other, the issues remain the same. Candidates do not appear to have a sound understanding of the English language in which they are supposed to write the exam, the language factor is an issue because the instructions they are expected to follow, some of them do not follow it." The results of 109,201 candidates were withheld by WAEC this year. Mr. Ari identified exam malpractice as reason for this, adding that; "We have been achieving some success. We have our ways of monitoring an identifying those who are involved in malpractices. Malpractice is a societal problem, a moral problem, and people are becoming increasingly conscious." His counterparts at NECO were not so optimistic. Media reports quoted Mr. Okpala as saying exam fraud was a big problem. He also identified Enugu, Akwa Ibom and Rivers State as most notorious as regards the trend.
An alumnus of the University of Ibadan who spoke under condition of anonymity said even undergraduates had cashed in on the development to make quick money.
"Weeks before, you see your mates reading textbooks on Government, Commerce, English language, Biology and other secondary school texts. On the mornings of JAMB or WAEC exams, all the hostels are empty. They charge from 10, 000 upwards per subject," he revealed.
In July, WAEC blacklisted 66 schools in Edo state, barring them from enrolling their students for next year's West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE), over lack of "adequate facilities". The schools, all privately owned, have since gone to court to contest the decision. Mr. Ari said the development was not new to the country's education sector. "WAEC periodically inspects the classrooms, laboratories and facilities of schools. At anytime, any school can be recognised, as well as delisted", he said.

A history of failure
This year's results, depressing as they have been called, put previous ones in a dim shade.
In 2008, only 13.76% of 1,369,142 WAEC candidates achieved credits in five subjects. In the November 2006 examination, only 11.6% of 423,518 candidates reached the five-credit mark.
Mr. Ari's assertion that students were ill-prepared for the exams and teaching was inadequate was met with mixed reactions.
Mrs. Victoria Umukoro, a parent, told NEXT the results were "a reflection of the disregard the government has for the education sector.
"Look at what is happening to ASUU now. Even the secondary school teachers have been going on strike regularly over (the) Teachers' Salary Scale, just when the children are about to write exams. How many of them were able to make up for the May/June exams after the teachers' strike that occurred around February this year? All this counts, instead of them saying the teachers are not working. Government too should play its part." Mrs. Umukoro cited the Niger-Delta and JTF crisis in May, when elders in Okerenkoko and Oporoza, both affected communities, claimed the O'level exams of their children and wards were disrupted.
A vice-principal at Iwo Grammar School in Osun State, M Akanmu, said the harsh economic situation was also to be taken into account.
"The students are not ready to learn; most of them ride okadas (motorcycle) before and often after school. Too many of them are looking for how to support themselves and their families; such that there is really no time to read. Also, if the government can look into getting more teachers, that would help." Mr. Akanmu said he has had to combine administrative work with teaching as a result. "There are also too many students in each class. You find you cannot blame teachers who do not have the time to go and check each student's practice exercises during the 40 minutes of each class period. All these things must, in some ways, affect their results," he said.
Mrs. Umukoro's twin girls will be re-enrolling for the November/December WAEC examinations this year. Their mother has employed private tutors to make up for the shortfall. But Mrs. Umukoro said she cannot guarantee their success.
"I can only try my best. They can only try theirs. Our children are not the only ones failing each year; the government too is failing, as they fail," she said . Majority of the students don't know anything and had no wish to. I was amazed at the brazenness of their cheating.

*Photo by Abiodun Omotosho