The Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, has warned parents, teachers, school proprietors, principals, invigilators and students against examination malpractice, saying the Federal Government is taking decisive steps to restore integrity to Nigeria’s public examination system.
Alausa said examination malpractice had become deeply entrenched in the education system, creating an unfair environment for students who prepare honestly and undermining public confidence in academic qualifications.
He spoke at a meeting with the National Association of Proprietors of Private Schools, NAPPS, and other education stakeholders.
The Minister’s Special Adviser on Media and Communications, Ikharo Attah, in a statement on Thursday, said Alausa warned that the fight against examination malpractice required collective responsibility, stressing that students were not the only actors involved in the practice.
The Minister urged parents, teachers, proprietors, principals, invigilators and other stakeholders to uphold examination rules and discourage practices that give candidates unfair access to examination materials.
Alausa said the Federal Government was strengthening examination administration to make public examinations more secure and ensure that results reflect genuine learning and merit.
According to him, the measures are part of the wider education sector reforms of the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu administration, aimed at improving standards, strengthening accountability and rebuilding public trust in Nigeria’s assessment system.
The Minister of State for Education, Prof Suwaiba Said Ahmad, also urged private school proprietors and other stakeholders to support the ongoing reforms, noting that tighter examination controls could initially expose gaps in students’ actual academic preparation.
She explained that some students who perform exceptionally well in internal examinations may have become accustomed to accessing leaked questions before external examinations, leaving them less prepared when such avenues are blocked.
Ahmad said the introduction of serialised examination questions would make reliance on leaked examination materials more difficult and reinforce the need for students to prepare genuinely for their examinations.
She urged schools to complete their curricula on schedule and encourage students to study consistently, assuring private education stakeholders that the Ministry would continue to engage with and support them throughout the implementation of the reforms.
According to her, the ultimate objective is to ensure that examination results provide a credible assessment of students’ knowledge and abilities.
Alausa assured stakeholders that the Federal Government would continue to collaborate with private schools, examination bodies and other partners to strengthen the credibility of Nigeria’s examination system.
He said the administration remained committed to protecting the interests of genuine learners and building an education system where academic qualifications are earned through knowledge, hard work and merit.
