Corruption In Schools: Elites Care Less About Quality Of Education In Nigeria – Town Hall Resolution

A Radio town hall meeting with the theme; “Eliminating Examination Malpractices, Special Centres and Other Forms of Corruption in Nigerian Schools” has declared that as long as elites in the country can and continue to send their children or wards abroad to study, they will continue to be less concerned about the quality of education in Nigeria.

The meeting organized by the Progressive Impact Organization for Community Development (PRIMORG) with support from the MacArthur Foundation noted that Nigerian elites, leaders, and Ministers of Education do not care about the rot in Nigeria’s education sector owing to the fact that their children and wards are schooling abroad.

A communique of the meeting compiled by Chidozie Ogbonnaya, Media and Communication Officer of

PRIMORG, noted that examination malpractices are on the increase because the system failed to punish the offenders or corrupt elements over time.

The radio town hall which took place on Friday, February 26, 2021 was aimed at discouraging the flourishing business of Special Centres across Nigeria, deter citizens from patronizing such Special Centres, as well as draw government’s attention to the evils of coordinated examination fraud by its officials.

During the meeting, participants and speakers highlighted the dangers of the falling standard of education in Nigeria occasioned by corruption as well as proffered solutions to address the deadly trend.

The participants which include Vin Martin Ilo, CEO/Principal Consultant, Signature TV; Olusola Bankole, Chairperson, National Association of Proprietors of Private Schools, FCT Chapter; Dr Segun Adelodun, Education Consultant; Wilson Agaba Wilson, Business & Education Consultant and; Francesca Edeghere, Independent Academic Education Consultant agreed that Nigeria’s education is in a serious mess.

The participants agreed that Special Exams Centres are setup for business reasons and quite distanct from the impartation of knowledge, adding that owners of such Special Centres collude with parents and officials of National Examination Council (NECO) to commit fraud.

The town hall meeting further concluded; “Operation of Special Centres for examination is prevalent in every part of Nigeria. Ministry of education, security agencies, NECO officials, proprietors are aware of the massive exam malpractices going on at special centers across Nigeria.

“Parents, school authorities, NECO officials are partners of examination malpractices going on in special centers.

“Corruption is encouraged in the education sector because the Nigeria society placed more emphasis on certificate rather than competence.

“Teachers now help students to cheat during examinations in schools.

“Government should be blamed for the massive corruption in education sector.

“Parents, religious bodies and citizens have not done enough to curb malpractices in school.

“Stakeholders in education sectors are not educationists,” the participants said.

The town hall meeting therefore urged the Federal government to set up a special body or independent consultant that will check excesses of those running Special Centres, rot in NECO and report directly to the president.

Thy equally stated that corruption is thriving because the of kind of education offered in Nigeria which is currently not value and or innovation-based, adding that value is not placed on educating ordinary Nigerians.

The town hall meeting further noted; “Monies allocated for education not enough and not well accounted for. As a nation, Nigeria needs to take education as a very serious sector.

“Parents encouraging exams malpractice by pushing for their children or wards to exit primary school between the ages of 8 and 9.

“Poor infrastructure, overcrowded classrooms in schools is one of the root causes of cheating in Nigerian schools.

“Teachers remuneration is one of the factors why they condone exam malpractices and other forms of corruption in schools.

“Leaders, public office holders are not interested in curbing corruption in the education sector.

“The crop of leaders in the education sectors are not passionate in fighting corruption in the sector.

“Minister of education seemingly not interested in fighting examination malpractice in NECO organized exams,” the participants enthused.

The town hall meeting concluded by accepting that Nigeria government needs to reorganize the educational sector while civic education should be made a compulsory subject in schools to develop the ethics and value system of students

Participants also recommended that teachers should concentrate on impacting morals and values in their students while civic education should be taught in schools by professionals just as there should be training and retraining for civic education teachers.

According to the participants at the town hall meeting; “There should be regular workshop on exam malpractices in schools.

“Nigeria needs vibrant, passionate people of integrity in the education sector.

“Regulatory bodies in the educational sector must do their jobs judiciously.

“Children in primary schools must stop jumping classes unnecessarily”.