21st March, 2018
Gov.Yahaya Bello of Kogi on Tuesday pledged the state government’s readiness to ensure zero tolerance to examination malpractice in both public and private secondary schools across the state.
Bello said this in Lokoja at a workshop organised by the state Ministry of Education, Science and Technology for principals and examination officers of public and private secondary schools.
The participants were drawn from he 21 local government areas of the state.
Bello was represented by Mrs Folashade Ayoade-Arike, Secretary to the State Government (SSG).
He warned the participants against a repeat of any form of examination malpractice that had bedeviled the state in the past.
He stressed that education remained one of his top priorities.
The governor also expressed his displeasure over a report that said Kogi had the the highest numbers of examination malpractice.
“Honestly, I felt so bad because it is a shame and embarrassing’’ the governor said.
He noted that the state government had been given every support to ensure that education was taken seriously in the new direction of his government.
“Let us task ourselves that we want to produce students that will produce the best results in the country and put in everything that will cost us to uphold zero tolerance to examination malpractice.
“We do not even want to hear reduction in examination malpractice;no, we want a total eradication of examination malpractice in Kogi state.
“That is what this government believes in and it is possible. We have schools and states that have zero tolerance to examination malpractice, why not Kogi state?
“The government is saying no to examination malpractice, and there will be proper monitoring at the state level; we will not just limit it to the ministry.
“We have a lot to do in our hands, so we must take it up as a challenge.
“So that when they are mentioning Kogi, we can stand tall anywhere and beat our chest that no examination malpractice in Kogi,” Bello said.
The governor commended the commissioner for organizing the workshop that brought all the principals and examination officers together to look into the menace of exam malpractice.
He said that from discussions from the workshop, they would be able to find lasting solution to the problem.
The Chief of Staff to the Governor, Mr Edward Onoja, said that education should be a shared responsibility among all the stakeholders in sector, and not government alone.
Onoja urged the participants to always be optimistic in their thinking and approach to issues.
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He advised them to avoid any act of pessimism, reaffirming the readiness of the governor to turn the state educational sector around.
Earlier, Mrs Rosemary Osikoya, the Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, said that the workshop was to strengthen the state’s education institutional structure.
It was also to strengthen the quality assurance which hitherto had been very weak, she said. .
According to Osikoya, Kogi needs to change its approach to education issues.
She said that 47 secondary schools were proscribed and de-registered, while 108 schools were warned by WAEC due to examination malpractice.
She urged the participants to pay rapt attention to every aspect of the workshop and asked questions where necessary.
She warned that inefficiency on their part would no longer be tolerated by the state government.
“We are interested in the destiny of the children under your care.
“We are demanding for seriousness and hard work from teachers and principals; you must take ownership of your schools.
“We will be appraising schools across the state and any school found wanting, its principal will be held responsible.
“All challenges and issues should be referred to the appropriate quarters,” Osikoya advised.
She said that the state government had on March 19, in collaboration with Federal Ministry of Education, organised a one-day training for the state’s area education evaluators.
She said that they would carry out the 2016/2017 School Census between March 21 and March 23.
The theme of the workshop is “Effective Management, Integrity of Exams Conduct; Addressing Examination Malpractice in Kogi State”.