The growing cases of exam malpractice and falling student performance have been linked to parents and teachers who are said to encourage bad habits in schools.
This was revealed by the Lagos State Chairman of the Academic Staff Union of Secondary Schools (ASUSS), Comrade Kazeem Labaika, during a radio programme, Dateline Lagos, on Radio One.
Comrade Labaika said many parents now care more about certificates than actual learning, pushing their children to cheat just to pass. According to him, some parents even work with teachers and exam supervisors to help their children cheat.
He called for a change in this mindset, stressing that students should not be “helped” to succeed by any means. He urged the government to take action by restoring discipline and order to schools, beginning from the grassroots level.
Also speaking on the programme, child and educational psychologist Professor Hakeem Owolabi blamed social media for distracting students and lowering their academic interest.
Professor Owolabi also criticised the practice of lowering cut-off marks for admissions, saying it reduces the value of education in the country. He urged education stakeholders to bring back discipline and stop automatic promotions, which he said make students lazy.
He further condemned the use of illegal “special centres” where exams are manipulated, stating that parents and schools involved should face legal punishment to serve as a deterrent to others.