NUT president: Computer exams won’t end malpractice… too much emphasis on certificates

Audu Amba, the national president of Nigerian Union of Teachers (NUT), says a shift to computer-based test (CBT) by the West African Examination Council (WAEC) and the National Examination Council (NECO) will not effectively eliminate malpractices.

Speaking in an interview in Abuja in Abuja on Sunday, Amba said the major challenge with the nation’s education system, which is encouraging malpractices, is the priority placed on paper qualifications.

He was reacting to the recent directive by the federal government that WAEC and NECO should fully transit to CBT for their examinations by 2026.

He noted the students would go the extra mile, sometimes, with the support of their parents to acquire higher grades in examinations, noting that the society has placed premium on certificates.

“We have placed more emphasis on certificates. What is your grade? What is your scores? he said.

“The students will go out of their ways to make sure that they get the marks that will give them the certificate,”

Amba also stressed the need to address the digital literacy gap among students and teachers before implementing such a policy, adding that this may require additional training programmes and resources.

“We are talking about CBT exams. Where is the light, manpower and network? You see, we have a long way to go,” he added.

“How many of our teachers in our localities are even computer literate? We don’t sit down within the city and give a directive that cannot be implemented.

“In my village, for instance, the network ceases. You can’t get it until you get to a particular place, and so it is in many of our villages.

‘There are also some of our students who have not seen a computer before, not to mention operating it.”

The NUT president stressed that many things needed to be addressed first and in time, before it could get to a level of CBT introduction.

According to him, there is a need for relevant stakeholders to work together to improve the education sector for the betterment of the students and the nation.