TWO depressing factors marked the conduct and result of this year's University Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) conducted by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB). One is the poor result underscored by the fact that only three candidates, out of the 1,503,931 that sat for the examination scored above 300 from a total of 400. Second is the large-scale examination malpractice that afflicted the exercise, as confirmed by the JAMB registrar.These are signs of worsening societal decay and collapse of values on all fronts, including the education sector. To re-invent the wheel and restore cherished core values represent a major challenge.According to the JAMB Registrar, Professor Dibu Ojerinde, who announced the results in Abuja, out of the 1,503,931 candidates who registered for the examination, only three candidates scored 300 and above. The breakdown shows that 336,330 candidates scored 1-169; 374,920 scored 170-199; 601,151 scored 200-269 and 901 scored 270-299. A total of 27,266 results were withheld.The examination recorded large-scale malpractice, Ojerinde stated as he thrilled the public when he displayed a pair of sandals with telephone handsets carefully embedded in its sole and smuggled into the examination hall. He bemoaned the involvement of JAMB officials, including invigilators and supervisors who extorted money from candidates and looked the other way while cheating went on unhindered. Ojerinde disclosed that the affected candidates have been handed over to the police for prosecution. He promised that erring JAMB officials found to be involved in the malpractice would not go unpunished.The results coming out yearly from JAMB and other public examination bodies, along with the level of fraud that goes with the examinations show institutional collapse in the country. The country's core values collapsed first in the unbridled quest for money, subsequently affecting the structures that hold the society together. Granted that education standard has taken a dip nationwide owing largely to the deterioration in public schools, it is nevertheless objectionable that only three candidates scored 300. Yet the examination reeked in fraud. The situation, no doubt, is disheartening and needs an all out war to redeem. It is not unimaginable that the poor result is a reflection of a warped school system.What else can one expect of an education sector characterised by poor funding, poor infrastructural facilities, poorly motivated teaching staff and poor learning environment, among other ills' The nation's predicament is no more than the result of years of neglect of education. For a start, there is need for greater investment in education from the cradle. Every level of the learning pathway, from nursery through primary to secondary school is critical for a better result.To redeem the grave situation, government needs to respond appropriately by instituting a system of quality assurance for schools, backed by quality teachers who should be evaluated on regular basis to guarantee standard. This quality control mechanism is presently unobtainable. Public schools are collapsing, while private schools are inadequately monitored, making it easy for their proprietors to concentrate on maximising profit at the expense of pursuing excellence. That leaves the entire school system in a pathetic state. Without a quality assurance mechanism, things would only get worse. The State Ministries of Education have a task to reverse the recurrent trend of poor results.The high level of corruption in the society is lamentable, particularly where schools, parents, teachers and examination officials collude to perpetrate malpractice. The involvement of mentors makes the problem disgraceful and intractable. The mad rush to get rich quick through dubious means has beclouded the sense of decency and probity in many people. It should be condemned.To arrest the deplorable state of education and save the nation's future, the federal and state governments should also rethink the structure of education. A thorough re-evaluation of education management is imperative to deal decisively with cheating and other examination fraud; and to prepare the candidates honestly and adequately for examination. It is an issue that equally demands commitment of all stakeholders in the education sector.
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