The
KASU 2013/14 first semester session will be starting on 15th July 2014.
EXAM FOCUS had an exclusive interview with the examination officer, faculty of
social and management science Kaduna State University.
Interviewer- Most times you hear students complaining when they fail exams, that “so
lecturer failed me”. Sir what do you think are the cause of students failure in
exams?
Exam officer- well there are so many
causes. One of the causes is the unseriousness of students, some students are
in school for fashion, and they have like worm attitude towards their studies.
Another reason is that some students do not understand what they are being
taught in class and their reluctant to ask questions. Some students do not even
come for lectures and when they get a carry over, they put the blame on the
lecturer. But when they get an A they will say it is their own effort. Some
students come from affluent homes, coming with flashy cars to school, instead
of them to go to the library to revise and study what they have learnt in
class; you will see them chatting, making noise all over the essence of giving
them those cars by their parents, it is to ease their transportation
challenges.
Interviewer- sir sometimes, you hear
a case of missing scripts. What is the student suppose to do in case of a
missing script?
Exam officer- if a C.A script is missing, the student should approach the
cause lecturer. But when it is an exam script, it has to do with my office, the
whole faculty of social and management sciences, we supply the question and
answer sheets, before the invigilators go for supervision, they will have to
sign the total number of scripts they’ve collected and when they return, they
will sign the number returned as well. From my office the scripts are then
distributed to the various departmental examination office, they also make sure
that the scripts collected tallied with the number written on the envelop
brought in them. And when a script is missing, we begin to check whether it or
the examination office.
Interviewer: still on examinations, there are situations where by a
student has a carry over, and his current course scheduled on the same day and
time and the duration will be same for one paper while the students is writing two. Is there
any special treatment for those writing two papers at once?
Exam officer- in this case we take such student to departmental exam
office, there are staffs that will supervise the student with such problem. But
the problem with you students is that you go fabricate stories to your parents
and tell that some students have offered bribe to the lecturers and they are
given that same exams to rewrite. But by the way, why should you get a
carryover in the first place? In such situation of writing two papers at same
time, you tell the invigilator to take you to the department exam office to
write your carry over course.
Interviewer-
now, let’s talk about examination malpractice, whose fault is it?
Exam officer- Are you asking me on who is to be blamed? Definitely it’s
the student. Obviously you know the answer yourself.
Interviewer-
but sir in external exams, there are most cases of malpractice in miracle
centers where students pay so that the teachers will photocopy or write the
answer for them on the board. Do you think such students that engage in
secondary school malpractice are the same students that do the same in the
tertiary institution?
Exam officer- yes, I was once a president of private schools board in
Zaria, but I wouldn’t mention the school, but there are so many miracle centers
that I think should be closed down by the ministry of education. Such students
come with good grades but cannot defend these grades. But this university will
not counter note this that is why students get ways to manipulate their ways to
smuggle external materials to the exam hall. For example a well respected
school likes Therbow School in Zaria, when the number of students writing exams
is sixty, they know that they have trained good students and if the result
fails to their expections, they sue the examination body to court. If it’s
WAEC, the papers are then sent to The Gambia, Sierra-leone or any other west
African country. They have the right to contest in the case of universities.
The unserious do not want their parents to know about their careless attitude
towards their studies; they begin materials to the exams hall which is wrong.
Interviewer- what will happen if a student is caught with
malpractice?
Exam officer-the consequences of malpractice is expulsion.
Interviewer- Sir, do you mean in KASU or in all universities?
Exam officer- I mean in all the universities
Interviewer-how can we tackle the issue of malpractice?
Exam officer- in my own opinion, social sciences courses like political science, mass
communication, sociology since they do not really deal with mathematics, should
admit students who have pass in mathematics and give the students one year
grace to make it up. And pure science course like mathematics, chemistry and physics
should admit student who have pass, in English and grant them a year to make it
up instead of a required credit. The reason is that the two mean courses, when
you find students engaging in malpractice are mathematics and English.
Interviewer-
do you mean the pressure to get math and English leads to malpractice?
Exam officer- yes, absolutely, students wants to pass mathematics and
English by all possible means because with that deficiency in either mathematic
or English will deny you entry into the university. For example, my daughter
wrote WAEC and had credit in all her sciences subjects but she had a pass in
her English, if not for her NECO that she got credit in English she will have
been denied admission into the university.
Interviewer- another question I will like to ask the exam officer is on
the issue of identity card and exam slip when entering an exam hall. Which one
is necessary before a student is allowed to write exams?
EXAMS OFFICER: The issue of identity
card and slip in examination is compulsory. Do you know why? You students are
crafty, you try to manipulate, maybe if your friend’s skin colour is fair like
yours, and she will use the computer and change some facial features on the
examinations slip and come to write exams for you. But the Identity card is
supplied by the school to prevent any manipulation. So the invigilator has to
compare your Identity card and exams slip before you enter the exams hall.
INTERVIEWER: what are the challenges
of being a faculty exams officer?
EXAMS OFFICER: well the challenges are
numerous, it is very hectic, I have to count every script received and send and
then file them and distribute to the departmental examinations offices. And you
always have the fear of scripts getting lost which in most cases may affect the
students involved.
INTERVIWER: Sir what advice do you
have for students?
EXAMS OFFICER: My advice is that
students should write the little they have read and not try to smuggle
materials.
By Hannatu Bilyaminu&
Amina
Salisu Mohammed
