The Need for Training: Equipping Teachers to Combat Examination Malpractice
In UNBREAKABLE Episode 17, broadcast on Passion 94.5 FM, we asked a provocative question: "If the doctors in a hospital are sick, who will treat the patients?" This is the crisis we face in Nigerian education when our teachers—the "doctors" of the mind—become agents of examination malpractice.
Why Do Teachers Engage in Malpractice?
It is easy to condemn, but to find a solution, we must understand the pressure. Our discussion identified several systemic and personal factors that drive educators toward unethical behavior:
Systemic Pressures
- Pressure to Meet Targets: Schools often demand high pass rates to maintain their reputation.
- Inadequate Resources: Lack of textbooks and labs leads teachers to cheat to "compensate" for poor facilities.
- Cultural Norms: A society that values the "certificate" over actual "competence."
Professional Gaps
- Lack of Training: Many teachers have not been trained in modern classroom delivery methods.
- Low Confidence: Teachers who don't believe in their students' abilities often choose to help them cheat.
- Erosion of Ethics: A loss of the "Teacher's Code of Conduct."
The Solution: Re-training and Ethical Re-armament
We cannot just fold our hands. Since punitive measures alone haven't stopped the scourge, we must advocate for a massive re-training effort. We propose two main areas of focus:
1. Modern Classroom Delivery
Teachers need to learn Student-Centered Methods that build academic self-confidence. When a teacher knows how to make a child understand a concept, they no longer feel the need to assist them in an exam hall.
2. Professional Ethics Seminars
Teaching is a noble profession with strict ethics. We must organize seminars that remind educators that they are training the future leaders of Nigeria. If we train children to be corrupt in school, we are building a corrupt nation.
A Call to Society
It is time to rise to the occasion. We must help our teachers get back on their feet so they can attend to our children. Examination bodies are doing their part, but nothing is more effective than an academically self-confident child.
"Better to build a child than to repair an adult."
Let's join hands to help our teachers succeed. When the teacher is strong, the student is UNBREAKABLE.