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Published On: Sat, Jan 7th, 2012
Tanzania | Published On: Sat, Jan 7th, 2012
Students busy with examination
Parents and guardians who are keen to enroll their children in secondary schools that have impressive records in terms of student performances in national examinations have been advised to think twice before taking their children to such schools.
Stakeholders in secondary school education have noted numerous incidents of cheating in examinations and accusing fingers have been pointed at dishonest Education Department officials who often collude with heads of schools to leak examination paper contents.
The culprits, it has been discovered, use technological tools such as the internet or mobile phones to pass over examination answers – a crime that is punishable by law. Interviewed professionals have revealed the main factors that lie behind the mischief.
The professionals also call on immediate intervention in a quest to rid the nation of this societal menace. Cheating in examinations, they say, is an embarrassment to the nation. Some secondary schools engage in the malpractice in order to win nation-wide fame.
The upshot here is to impress parents and consequently, enroll more students. This development also goes with hiked school fees. Mr John Nchimbi, a Communication Officer with the National Examination Council of Tanzania (NECTA), has defended the council's integrity in the supervision of examinations starting from setting of exams.
He says that examination are set in complete secrecy and distributed in sealed packages to prevent examination leakage. "Examination leakage does not start with the council's handling of the documents but perhaps other levels," he says. The greatest suspicion falls on the owners of private schools, teachers and parents who bribe corrupt invigilators, says Mr Nchimbi.
Prof Onesmo Mbilinyi is a retired academician who is well versed with the country's education policy of 1995. For him education is "a factory" for future professionals. This factory must be taken care of properly to avoid "production of sub-standard personnel." "The education policy aims at providing schools, colleges and other educational institutions with the know-how and resources. With this kind of determination there was no way the quality of education could be compromised," he remarks.
In 2001, he added, the Education Sector Development Programme (ESDP) was launched. The main aim was to implement the objectives of education policies by addressing critical issues including science and technological needs. The policy also sought to give girls and other special social and cultural groups, including the disabled, access to education and to provide education facilities to disadvantaged areas.
Rehema Panda is concerned about the tarnished integrity of teachers, invigilators and school owners. She is a parent and secondary school teacher. "Examinations are a traditional way of testing students' ability to remember and reproduce the knowledge gained. But some teachers do not bother to work hard in order to finish the planned syllabus.
"Invigilators and parents compromise the genuineness and meaning of examination results much to the detriment of the students. This must be stopped," Rehema says. Asha Hussein, another secondary school teacher, who has been on the job for the last 17 years, wonders how future generations would fit in the global labour market if this canker is allowed to continue. Examination leakages must be eliminated, she says.
"Appropriate action must be taken to redress the situation. Cheating in examinations is a ‘cancer' that is likely to ‘eat' the fabric of the society. This nation will continue producing badly educated and poorly trained personnel. In the near future, only the highly qualified people will be hired for jobs," Asha said. The sole purpose of education, she added, is to build a highly skilled and educated workforce with ability and skills in the application of gained technology. Cheating in examinations is a dangerous malady that must be fought vigorously.
Elihudi Msofe is a computer expert. He says that technological advancement is associated with many other challenges that require extra knowledge in order to overcome them. "Before the advent of computer technology and extensive use of the sophisticated mobile phone communication system, it was easy to control examination leakages.
"Today things are different. Within a fraction of a second the entire examination file can be transmitted around the world electronically. There is no doubt some of the people entrusted with the duty to compile examination papers are the ones behind the leakage," Msofe suspected. Some secondary school students from Mugabe, Jangwani Girls, Azania Boys, Kigogo and Turiani secondary schools gave their views on possible factors that contribute to examination cheating.
Sila Hamadi suggested that setting of national examinations whereby nearly 80 per cent of the entire examination is based on multiple choices such as (A, B, C and D) should be reviewed because cheating becomes extremely easy. "Students must be required to give an explanation on some aspects," Hamadi suggested. Tausi Mwenegoha laid most of the blame on parents who conspire with school administrations to raise funds to bribe invigilators.
Some school teachers are paid so they solve some or all the examination questions on behalf of students. Ibrahimu Bazil, another student, asked the government to devise strategies that could encourage teachers to do their job honestly and seriously. "Students enter examination rooms literally empty-headed because some teachers do not bother to finish the planned syllabus and no higher authority ever questions this anomaly.
Most teachers posted at different schools simply report, get enlisted on payroll and disappear. It is claimed that they have gone for further studies," Bazil lamented. Josiah Isaack thanked President Jakaya Kikwete for on-going efforts to secure books from abroad to help provide better education to students. However, he suspected that the books would end in private stores in the hands of street vendors who go untaxed.
By HASINA MJINGO, Tanzania Daily News
Tanzania | Published On: Sat, Jan 7th, 2012
Students busy with examination
Parents and guardians who are keen to enroll their children in secondary schools that have impressive records in terms of student performances in national examinations have been advised to think twice before taking their children to such schools.
Stakeholders in secondary school education have noted numerous incidents of cheating in examinations and accusing fingers have been pointed at dishonest Education Department officials who often collude with heads of schools to leak examination paper contents.
The culprits, it has been discovered, use technological tools such as the internet or mobile phones to pass over examination answers – a crime that is punishable by law. Interviewed professionals have revealed the main factors that lie behind the mischief.
The professionals also call on immediate intervention in a quest to rid the nation of this societal menace. Cheating in examinations, they say, is an embarrassment to the nation. Some secondary schools engage in the malpractice in order to win nation-wide fame.
The upshot here is to impress parents and consequently, enroll more students. This development also goes with hiked school fees. Mr John Nchimbi, a Communication Officer with the National Examination Council of Tanzania (NECTA), has defended the council's integrity in the supervision of examinations starting from setting of exams.
He says that examination are set in complete secrecy and distributed in sealed packages to prevent examination leakage. "Examination leakage does not start with the council's handling of the documents but perhaps other levels," he says. The greatest suspicion falls on the owners of private schools, teachers and parents who bribe corrupt invigilators, says Mr Nchimbi.
Prof Onesmo Mbilinyi is a retired academician who is well versed with the country's education policy of 1995. For him education is "a factory" for future professionals. This factory must be taken care of properly to avoid "production of sub-standard personnel." "The education policy aims at providing schools, colleges and other educational institutions with the know-how and resources. With this kind of determination there was no way the quality of education could be compromised," he remarks.
In 2001, he added, the Education Sector Development Programme (ESDP) was launched. The main aim was to implement the objectives of education policies by addressing critical issues including science and technological needs. The policy also sought to give girls and other special social and cultural groups, including the disabled, access to education and to provide education facilities to disadvantaged areas.
Rehema Panda is concerned about the tarnished integrity of teachers, invigilators and school owners. She is a parent and secondary school teacher. "Examinations are a traditional way of testing students' ability to remember and reproduce the knowledge gained. But some teachers do not bother to work hard in order to finish the planned syllabus.
"Invigilators and parents compromise the genuineness and meaning of examination results much to the detriment of the students. This must be stopped," Rehema says. Asha Hussein, another secondary school teacher, who has been on the job for the last 17 years, wonders how future generations would fit in the global labour market if this canker is allowed to continue. Examination leakages must be eliminated, she says.
"Appropriate action must be taken to redress the situation. Cheating in examinations is a ‘cancer' that is likely to ‘eat' the fabric of the society. This nation will continue producing badly educated and poorly trained personnel. In the near future, only the highly qualified people will be hired for jobs," Asha said. The sole purpose of education, she added, is to build a highly skilled and educated workforce with ability and skills in the application of gained technology. Cheating in examinations is a dangerous malady that must be fought vigorously.
Elihudi Msofe is a computer expert. He says that technological advancement is associated with many other challenges that require extra knowledge in order to overcome them. "Before the advent of computer technology and extensive use of the sophisticated mobile phone communication system, it was easy to control examination leakages.
"Today things are different. Within a fraction of a second the entire examination file can be transmitted around the world electronically. There is no doubt some of the people entrusted with the duty to compile examination papers are the ones behind the leakage," Msofe suspected. Some secondary school students from Mugabe, Jangwani Girls, Azania Boys, Kigogo and Turiani secondary schools gave their views on possible factors that contribute to examination cheating.
Sila Hamadi suggested that setting of national examinations whereby nearly 80 per cent of the entire examination is based on multiple choices such as (A, B, C and D) should be reviewed because cheating becomes extremely easy. "Students must be required to give an explanation on some aspects," Hamadi suggested. Tausi Mwenegoha laid most of the blame on parents who conspire with school administrations to raise funds to bribe invigilators.
Some school teachers are paid so they solve some or all the examination questions on behalf of students. Ibrahimu Bazil, another student, asked the government to devise strategies that could encourage teachers to do their job honestly and seriously. "Students enter examination rooms literally empty-headed because some teachers do not bother to finish the planned syllabus and no higher authority ever questions this anomaly.
Most teachers posted at different schools simply report, get enlisted on payroll and disappear. It is claimed that they have gone for further studies," Bazil lamented. Josiah Isaack thanked President Jakaya Kikwete for on-going efforts to secure books from abroad to help provide better education to students. However, he suspected that the books would end in private stores in the hands of street vendors who go untaxed.
By HASINA MJINGO, Tanzania Daily News
