In a bold move to restore integrity in Nigeria’s education system, the Minister of Education, Dr. Olatunji Alausa, has announced stringent new penalties for students caught engaging in examination malpractice. Offenders will face a three-year ban from all national external examinations.
In an official letter to the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), Dr. Alausa emphasized that the policy will be enforced using the National Identification Number (NIN) to ensure consistent tracking across all major examination bodies. This includes JAMB, WAEC, NECO, and NABTEB.
The directive doesn’t stop at students. Schools and CBT (Computer-Based Testing) centres found complicit in malpractice will also be de-listed. The duration of the de-listing will be determined by the affected examination body, and other exam boards are expected to honor and mirror the same sanctions concurrently.
This action is backed by Section 16(2) of the Examination Malpractices Act, which authorizes examination bodies to share details of offenders with sister agencies, enabling coordinated penalties across institutions.
The move underscores the Ministry’s commitment to upholding fairness and credibility in Nigeria’s academic assessments and sends a strong message to both students and institutions: malpractice will no longer be tolerated.
