PROJECT BODY:

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY                                                         

          Examination is a criterion set nation-wide in schools at both higher and lower levels for assessing the student’s intellectual ability. It is used for grading, promoting and awarding of certificates of merits. This exercise has been in existence over since colonial government in Nigeria as well as countries so long as Western education is concern.

          According to Ogbemudia (2005), the history of formal examination involving written answers and a series of prepared question dates back to 2nd century B.C in Isaa when the results introduced written examination into their schools.

          Obijiaku (1998) defines examination as a means of assessing the ability of the individual in any life pursuit, be  it academic or any other facet of human endeavour, ability , competence as well as performance.

          The above implies that it is through examination that an individual’s knowledge is determined either on a past course of study, learnt or the probability of an individual benefiting from a future training programme.

          According to Achuniyi (1997) examination is a process of evaluating the pupils behavioural changes based on several learning experiences, systematically presented to a group of pupils over a specific period of time or a given course of study. But the aim of examination has been defeated due to certain factors beyond the students control. Majority are not always ready and prepared for the examination but  for them to overcome the shame of copying from lecturers work, carrying of textbooks into an examination hall , a good number of students are impersonators, while others smuggle their scripts out of the examination hall. These contributes to leakage of papers of both internal and external examinations. These and many other means constitute what is known as “Examination Malpractice”

          Examination Malpractice according to Ogbemudia (2001) is an illegal action by which a person seeks to benefit himself at the cost of others while in a position of trust.

          Here in Nigeria, according to Ede (1987) the first recorded incident of Examination Malpractice was in the leakage of school certificate examination in 1914, by 1970 the educational system experienced Examination Malpractice in a large scale, and today, this problem of Examination Malpractice has affected our standard of education in the sense that students can meet up to pass, get promoted and obtain certificates in many ways which they might not be able to defend in practice. For this reason, a call is made on how to limit the rate or even eradicate entirely Examination Malpractices in Nigerian schools so as to produce graduates whoa re capable to put into practice what they studies.