The Federal Government is stepping up actions to end examination malpractice in Nigeria. The Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, has directed the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) to punish schools and Computer-Based Test (CBT) centres involved in exam fraud.
He said any school or CBT centre henceforth found guilty will be banned for several years. The ban applies to those involved in helping students cheat or operating as so-called “miracle centres.”
“Any school/CBT centre involved in examination malpractice and/or acting as a miracle centre should be derecognised for several years,” Dr. Alausa said.
He explained that the length of the ban would be decided by the relevant exam body. The new rule applies to all exam bodies like WAEC, NECO, NABTEB, and JAMB.
Three-Year Ban for Students Who Cheat
Students found guilty of cheating in external exams will face a three-year ban. They will not be allowed to write any major national exam during this period.
The directive said all actions must be enforced using each student’s National Identification Number (NIN). This ensures that no student can register for another exam under a different name.
“Student(s) involved in examination malpractice should be barred from sitting for any external examinations in Nigeria such as those conducted by WAEC, NECO, NABTEB, etc., for three years using the instrumentality of NIN,” the memo stated.
Unified Action by Exam Bodies
The Minister also said that once a school or CBT centre is banned by one exam body, others must follow the same action.
“If any school/CBT centre is derecognised by any examination body, other sister examination bodies should follow suit,” JAMB’s spokesperson confirmed.
This means if WAEC bans a school, JAMB, NECO, and NABTEB must also ban that same school for the same number of years.
This approach is meant to discourage exam centres from helping students cheat and to reduce the number of miracle centres in Nigeria.
The decision is backed by Section 16(2) of the Examination Malpractices Act. This law allows one exam body to inform others about schools, candidates, or officials involved in malpractice.
The new directive also puts pressure on parents to stop encouraging cheating. The Ministry believes the ban will make students and schools take exams more seriously.
The government said it is committed to restoring the quality of education in the country. It hopes these strict measures will help return integrity to public examinations.
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