By Chidi Nkwopara

As the new academic session draws near, Catholic Bishops of the Owerri Ecclesiastical Province have called on governments at all levels to strictly enforce the 1999 Examination Malpractice Act, which prescribes jail terms and fines for offenders.

In a joint statement signed by the Chairman, Archbishop Lucius Iwejuru Ugorji, and the Secretary, Most Rev. Augustine Echema, the clerics decried the rising wave of examination fraud in the country, warning that it continues to erode academic integrity and national values.

They noted that Nigeria ranked first globally in examination malpractice in 2012, attributing the trend largely to the proliferation of so-called Miracle Examination Centres (MECs).

According to the bishops, “For decades, these miracle centres have operated as open secrets. Students, aided by their parents, register for SSCE exams in private or rural schools for inflated fees with the promise of guaranteed success, irrespective of merit. This practice has corrupted the examination process and compromised the integrity of secondary school certification.”

The bishops further lamented that proprietors, parents, and a permissive society form a “triad of complicity,” abetted by corrupt invigilators and compromised systems. “The tragedy is that everyone pretends this is education. Exposing children to such practices early undermines the fight against corruption in our national life,” they said.

They also condemned private school owners and principals who aid malpractice by providing leaked questions online, bribing officials, or even hiring proxy candidates, sometimes intimidating examiners with threats of violence.

Calling for urgent reforms, the bishops urged Parents Teachers Associations, community groups, examination bodies, and state ministries of education to collaborate in restoring integrity to the school system. They stressed that “all rogue schools and corrupt principals must be identified and blacklisted.”

The statement also faulted parents who coerce their children into disciplines mismatched with their aptitudes, describing it as another driver of malpractice.

“Nigerian children must be taught to develop good study habits, uphold integrity, avoid peer pressure, and understand that success comes through hard work,” the bishops emphasized. “We must state unequivocally that any form of examination malpractice will not be tolerated in our Catholic schools.”