Abstract

Examination malpractice is an unwholesome practice encapsulating different types of malicious means adopted by unserious students to cheat during examinations in order to score high marks and pass the examinations. The incidence of examination malpractice has become so endemic that the penalty hitherto melted out to its perpetrators is almost having no statistically significant effects on them.

This study aims at examining the issue of examination malpractices in higher institutions in Cameroon and the measures taken to repress such activities. Through the adoption of qualitative research methodology, the study sheds light on the root causes of examination malpractices and proposes recommendations for enhancing the repressive mechanisms in place.

Findings reveal there is an high increase in the number of people and institutions involved in this social malaise. This research contributes to the existing literature on academic integrity and serves as a valuable resource for policymakers, educators, and stakeholders seeking to address this pervasive issue in the Cameroonian education system.

On this basis, it can be recommended that, a multifaceted approach involving the collaboration of educational institutions, regulatory bodies, and the government is crucial for effectively curbing examination malpractices in Cameroon’s higher education sector.

CHAPTER ONE

GENERAL INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background To The Study

Education is so far the surest process through which society ensures a desirable change in the behaviour of her young members.  Examination grades are the most common means through which parents and the society can be informed about the learner’s academic progress and performance. The students’ achievement is communicated to parents and the society through the certificates they get.

Through the quality of service of the benefactors of these certificates, the school and the society can be evaluated in terms of how well they are realizing their goals. Notes that grades by themselves provide limited information; communicate little in the way of specific information about how the student has learned, and rarely includes information about students’ motivation, cooperation and behaviour.  As a result of these, something more than grades from cognitive assessment are needed to give parents a full portrait of the student.

Examination malpractice in the Cameroonian educational system is widely discussed as a cankerworm that poses a great threat to authenticity of educational qualifications. It is a major challenge to examination bodies, the government of Cameroon, schools, administrators and parents. Examination is the measurement of proficiency in knowledge and skills, either in oral or written forms, and evaluating the adequacy of these properties possessed by candidate.

They tend to be a high dependency on test or examination as a means to assess teaching and learning at school in Cameroon. Examination is a means of evaluating the quantity and quality of knowledge a learner has acquired within a specific period of time . Teaching and learning become more effective when the pupils are subjected to a test or examination process to determine the extent which the learners have assimilated the content of the instruction, given and the teacher can also assess himself from the performance of the learners.

Apart from students who are already in school, examination is administered as a pre-condition for selection of  students into school programmes such examinations include; The Common Entrance Examination into secondary schools and University,  Examination into Colleges of Education and Polytechnic. Some learners would do anything legitimate or illegitimate to succeed. It is surprising, pupils acquired skills for cheating. There is tendency for them to cultivate this levels of education as well as other aspects of their life endeavours . If this activity is left unchecked, the effect on the students and the general populace could be wasted. What factors may be responsible for this ugly behaviour that has corrupted the society?

Thus, the desperate attempt to pass a test or examination through illegitimate measures among learners has pave way to different cases of examination malpractice tendencies in the educational system as a whole. Issue of malpractice tendencies may be due to certain psychosocial factors. Thus, psycho-social factors are those factors that influence learner’s examination malpractice tendencies either positively or negatively. Some of these psycho-social factors include, test anxiety, students attitude to school etc .

Examination malpractice tendencies may define as unpleasant method used or adopted by a learner to succeed in an examination, either copying from text or note books, using internet, giraffing, exchanging answer booklets or throwing pieces of papers and soughting after examination. Examination malpractice tendency as a situation in which candidates from examination are given unfair advantage, before, during or after the examination for cheap success.  It is very unfortunate that these malpractice tendencies have no restriction. Even at the primary school level, examination malpractice tendencies have been taking place.

Examination malpractices are illegal, immoral and unprofessionally and it is prevalence in primary, secondary, tertiary, and vocational institutions in Cameroon  The causes of examination malpractices in Cameroon include inadequate preparation, fear of failure, pressure from parents and teachers amongst others . This examination malpractices may take different forms including impersonations, leakage of questions, tampering with results and computer fraud. The consequences of this in Cameroon includes dismissal, termination, lack of self-confidence.  The government has taken steps to address the problem of examination malpractices including criminalizing the offense, and enforcing laws and regulations related to examination malpractice. The effective strategies to address examination malpractices include, good teaching, adequate teaching and learning facilities, and the use of technology such as facial recognition technology, biometric systems and CCTV camaras.

1.2 Statement Of The Problem

Examination should be a true test of knowledge. It should be able to attest the level of intelligence or performance of learners or pupils in formal and informal learning. Unless the examination is properly administered, its result cannot be relied upon for any useful judgment.

It becomes very surprising to observe that university education which was established on the objective of acquiring literacy, numeracy, creativity and communication skills has also been observed to have a level of involvement in examination malpractice tendencies. Pupils malpractice tendencies is attributed to certain psycho-social variables, such as attitudes to school and test anxiety.

The inability to cope with the school work, laziness, location of the school, corrupt invigilators and supervisors, fear of failure, peer group influence, parental involvement, etc had given rise to University of Buea Students’ involvement in examination malpractice tendencies. This situation has however motivated the students to present gifts to their class teachers in order to favour them during the examination.

1.3 Research Questions

1.3.1 General Research Question

What measures have been put in place to repress examination malpractices in Cameroon?

1.3.2 Specific Research Questions

1. What conduct constitutes examination malpractices in Cameroon?
2. What laws are there to repress examination malpractices in Cameroon?
3. What challenges do institutions face in repressing examination malpractices in Cameroon?
4. What policy recommendations can be made to effectively repress examination malpractices in Cameroon?

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