A former Registrar of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), Prof. Is-haq Oloyede, has blamed parents for the rising incidence of examination malpractice in Nigeria, arguing that they play a greater role in encouraging the practice than the candidates themselves.
Oloyede made the remarks during an interview on ThisDay Live on Sunday, where he reflected on his 10-year tenure as JAMB registrar.
He described parents’ involvement in examination malpractice as the most disturbing aspect of his experience at the examination body, saying many deliberately expose their children to dishonest practices in an effort to secure admission into tertiary institutions.
“The most painful period of my experience in JAMB had to do with the level of involvement of parents in the organisation of examination malpractice,” he said.
According to Oloyede, many candidates are not the principal drivers of examination fraud, insisting that parents bear greater responsibility for the growing trend.
“I have no difficulty saying that most of the candidates are not problematic. They are not the problem. The problem is the parents,” he stated.
The former JAMB registrar said he was often emotional when confronted with the extent to which some parents facilitated cheating during examinations.
“Every time I was confronted with the reality of what parents were doing, I became very emotional because I kept asking myself how people could undermine their own future to this extent,” he said.
Oloyede further argued that parents have a responsibility to instil positive values in their children rather than encouraging dishonest behaviour.
“Even if you have your own deficiencies, you should not pass them on to the next generation. Unfortunately, that is what many parents are doing,” he added.
