Victor Ogunje in Ado Ekiti
The Registrar of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, (JAMB), Prof Isaq Oloyede yesterday said preferences placed on paper qualifications by employers in Nigeria was responsible for high incidences of examination malpractices in JAMB.
He also said the simple way to make public servants shy away from corruption and other sharp practices was to make available to them, appropriate minimum welfare packages.
The former Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ilorin, made the assertion in Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State, while delivering the 10th Annual lecture of the Forum of Heads of Federal Government Establishments in Nigeria, (Ekiti State chapter).
He spoke on the topic, “Value Re-orientation for Effective Service Delivery: JAMB Perspectives,” saying no worker would chose to remain indolent, disloyal and unproductive, if his working environment was appealing.
Oloyede blamed various cases of fraudulent practices in schools, especially during external examinations, on too much emphasis on paper qualifications by authorities while engaging people for employment.
Oloyede, who was represented on the occasion by the Director, Quality Assurance at JAMB Headquarters, Mrs. Mabel Agbebaku, said he had initiated as well as carried out a number of innovations and disciplinary measures which had not only shored up annual revenue generated by the agency, but also eased out bad eggs from the system.
“Any practice that aims at compromising the integrity of examinations pose a great danger to the collective hopes of the citizenry and the developmental aspirations of the nation.
“As the Board is investing a large chunk of its resources in the fight against examination infractions, government and other stakeholders alike must also show increased commitment to this fight, because of the threats posed not only to the educational system, but also to national development.
“Some of the reasons for the widespread report of academic cheating might not be unconnected with the undue emphasis placed on paper qualifications and the desperation for professional courses such as Medicine, Law, Accountancy etc,” he said.
According to him, in the Board’s constant efforts to deploy international best practices, Computer Based Testing, (CBT) was employed as the mode of examination delivery in the conduct of its exams in recent oast, saying this I innovation had helped to reduce malpractices and irregularities to the barest minimum.
He accused some private CBT Centres of complicity in encouraging malpractices during UTME Exams, warning them to desist henceforth or be ready to face consequences.
The JAMB boss said many of the CBT Centres were in the habit of collaborating with both parents and schools to earn underserving grades, saying “some of them even go as far as allowing the use of one person’s biometrics to register multiple candidates and also use different person’s photograph to register a candidate.”
The Special Guest of Honour on the occasion, Gov. Kayode Fayemi, who was represented by the Head of Service, Mrs. Peju Babafemi, commended the forum for coming up with the idea of organising the annual lecture, and promised government’s continued support.
He agreed on the topic of the lecture, saying “the continuing debate on the pervading moral decadence in the society has resonated, in no small measure, the concept of value reorientation in public domain.”
“JAMB has indeed demonstrated this ideals of value re-orientation, as evident in its various reformations as well as giant stride in terms of increased remittances to the coffees of the Federal Government,” he added.
Earlier in his welcome address, Mr. James Famurewa, the Chairman of Ekiti chapter of the Forum, explained that the annual lecture, was conceptualised as a veritable and strategic platform where all federal civil servants in the state can benefit immensely from the intellectual capacity and wealth of experience of eminent scholars, renowned public officers, technocrats and other critical stakeholders invited to deliver lecture
He hinted that the forum had just been allowed a parcel of land to build its State Secretariat, estimated to cost N25 million, with an appeal to both the state government and other stakeholders to assist in making the project become a reality
The Chairman of the occasion, Mrs. Janet Olufunmilayo Adesubokan, remarked that members of the Forum in Ekiti had all been fulfilling the dreams and aspirations of the Federal Government at the State level, to the admiration of the host public.
