Kwara governor threatens to sanction school heads aiding exam malpractice

The Governor of Kwara State, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, on Thursday warned heads of schools and other officials to desist from aiding and abetting examination malpractice or risk heavy sanctions if caught in the act.

AbdulRazaq, who gave the warning in a statement issued by his Chief Press Secretary, Rafiu Ajakaiye, said such incidents of malpractice in the 2019 West African Examination Council (WAEC) examination led to the blacklist of 165 schools in the state and financial penalties from the examination body.

According to him, the fines imposed on schools in the state for exams held between April 8 and May 31, 2019, is the worst in the history of the state as it affected 122 public secondary schools and 43 private schools.

He said the schools were fined N250, 000 each.

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The governor said: “This administration is sad to note that WAEC has de-recognized 165 schools in Kwara because of widespread cases of cheating in the 2019 senior secondary certificate examination in which some top education officials and parents were implicated.

“This is very unfortunate and this administration will not hesitate to sanction any school heads or officials that ever engage in such conduct in the future.

“The administration also urges parents to desist from encouraging cheating in the examination. We call on Kwarans to expose this cancer. As a result of such incidents of aiding and abetting of examination malpractices, this administration will now have to pay N30.5million of scarce public resources to get the necessary approval for the affected public schools to host WAEC examinations in the future.

“This is avoidable. Examination malpractice constitutes some of the worst hindrances to a bright future because it negates the time tested principles of hard work, diligence, and thirst for knowledge and excellence.”

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