Education

How To Handle Examination Misconduct

In this article, we will help highlight ways of handling examination misconduct to avert its ugly consequences on students and staff.

There is a stiff penalty for offenders of examination malpractices. This punishment is put to discourage its growth as a country’s educational policy and products are to a large extent, a measure of her Level of development.

All educational institutions try to put in a catalog what constitutes examination misconduct and various ways of hanging them. It is the responsibility of every school to protect the dignity of assessment by handling examinations fairly and freely.

Let’s define the meaning of examination misconduct, before discussing how to handle examination misconduct.

What Is Examination Misconduct?

Examination misconduct means the contravention by students or staff or any of the provisions of the academic regulations which is considered to be prejudicial to the good conduct of examinations.

Examination Misconduct By Staff

Any staff (academic or non-academic) found to be involved in any of the following shall be guilty of examination misconduct:

1. Giving improper assistance to a student through the foreknowledge of the examination questions or aid in the examination hall.

2. Deliberate under-assessment or over-assessment of student work.

3. Any falsification of students’ examination results or academic records.

4. Soliciting or receiving any gratification from the student or his agent in exchange for the assessment of the student.

5. Any act that in the opinion of the Academic Board is prejudicial to the good conduct of the examination.

Penalty For Examination Misconduct

Any proven case of examination misconduct against a member of staff carries a commensurate penalty which may be any of the following:

1. Written warning

2. Withholding of promotion

3. Suspension

4. Demotion

5. Retirement

6. Termination

7. Dismissal.

In addition, cases that warrant penalties ranging from demotion to dismissal of staff shall be referred to the appropriate committee on disciplinary matters.

How To Handle An Examination Misconduct

In the examination hall, two groups exist, which are:

1. The students who supposedly had prepared to write the examination. The effort should be to abide by the rule of the game, and by working independently of the other students in the same hall with him.

2. The umpires (Invigilator) who ensure compliance with the regulations of the examination. They are experts, versed in exam conduct, and prepared to create a conducive environment for fair examinations.

examination misconduct

It is the role of an Invigilator to handle examination misconduct. However, when a student misbehaves the Invigilator should do the following:

1. Note the nature of the misconduct.

2. Book down the student in the appropriate forms provided for such purposes, of course intimating his fellow Invigilators of what happened.

3. Allowing the student to continue work as he (student) is still innocent until proven otherwise by a competent misconduct panel.

4. The chief invigilator should be properly briefed, attaching all material associated with ease.

5. The misconduct should be clearly stated to avoid ambiguity and subsequent doubts.

6. Any case an Invigilator is not sure of should be discountenanced.

7. On many occasions Invigilators complain of rowdiness in the halls. This is awful. Invigilators must not contribute to the rowdiness by standing misconducted students up or showing unnecessary interest in trivial matters.

8. The Invigilator should forward all recorded cases of examination misconduct to the chief Invigilator for his endorsement and submission.

9. When the case goes to a panel for investigation, the Invigilators should justify their records.

How To Handle An Examination Mistake By The Student

There are instructions given to students on the conduct of examinations which they must adhere to. Below are three categories of handling examination misconduct by the student.

1. Before the Examination

2. During the Examination

3. After Examination

1. Before the Examination

1. Candidates must attend examinations punctually at the time specified for their papers, at least fifteen minutes before the commencement of the examination.

2. Candidates shall submit themselves for searching if required to do so and only then will they be allowed to enter the halls.

3. No candidate shall choose a seat for himself or refuse a seat assigned to him by the Invigilator.

4. Students must write their Registration Numbers on their question papers and answer scripts. There must not be any mutilation.

2. During Examinations

1. Sunglasses, face caps, and hats shall not be allowed. A student who wishes to make use of any of these must obtain permission from the chief invigilator.

2. During the examination, a candidate may be permitted to leave the hall temporally only when accompanied by an attendant with the permission of the Invigilator. But it must be after thirty minutes after the commencement of the examination.

3. While the examination is in progress, any form of communication between candidates is strictly forbidden. The only permissible way of drawing the Invigilator’s spirit is by raising the hand.

4. There shall be no smoking whatsoever in the hall.

5. No student shall leave the exam hall with the intention of returning, after submitting his/her answer scripts.

6. Should a student wish to withdraw from the examination on grounds of ill health, such a student must surrender his answer script and the question paper to the Invigilator.

7. Before handling their answer scripts at the end of the examination, candidates must satisfy themselves that they have indicated the title of the examination, their examination/registration numbers, the name of the examination hall, and the number of questions they attempted in the appropriate spaces.

8. The use of scrap paper is not permitted at all. Rough work must be done in the answer booklet. No rough work shall be permitted on the question papers, on desks, palms, or anywhere else.

3. After Examination

1. Candidates must not, under any circumstance remove any answer booklet or answer sheets whether such booklets or sheets are blank or not.

2. At the end of examinations, candidates must stop writing, remain seated, and hand in their answer booklets in an orderly manner or according to the Invigilator’s instruction.

Conclusion

The above procedures are the ways of handling examination misconduct. And by proposing the above procedures on how to handle examination misconduct, we hope that this article will help schools to know how to channel their energies in handling all the irregularities that come during the examination period.

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