BY DAYO ADESULU

RIVERS State Government (RSG) has Inaugurated its Exam Ethics Marshals in the State. The Inauguration took place during the induction ceremony of the Marshals at the Alfred Diete Spiff Civic Centre in Port Harcourt.

The Rivers State Commissioner for Education, Dame Alice Lawrence-Nemi during the induction ceremony said the State is committed to the promotion of best practices and integrity during the conduct of both internal and external examinations. The Commissioner stated that the State is not only building schools but is also raising a new breed of future leaders in character and learning through the introduction of ethics, integrity and best practices.

Best practices
‘’As a State that is very committed to the promotion of best practices and integrity in the conduct of our examination, and in line with our Mission Statement of providing qualitative and sound education in the State, we are now resolved to go even further in stamping out the scourge of examination misconduct in Rivers State.

The State Government is not only building schools but we are also committed to raising a new breed of future leaders in character and learning through entrenchment of ethics, integrity and best practices’’. ‘’Change is inevitable to the socio-economic development of any nation and that change can only come from us.

Today is a special day in the history of Rivers State Ministry of Education as we induct an army of Exam Marshals that will preach the good news of honesty, Integrity and best practices to all and sundry in the State’’, she stated.

The Commissioner also said that the Ministry of Education has introduced many avenues to curb the menace of examination malpractices in the State. According to her, examination malpractice is one of the canker worms that have eaten deep into the fabrics of the Nigerian society. She stated that the State has clamped down on many miracle centres and also has insisted on the registration of right candidates for  every external examination in the State.

‘’Examination misconduct is one of the canker worms that have eaten deep into the fabrics of the Nigerian society. It cuts across all levels of our education system. The Ministry has embarked on a crusade of curbing the menace.

First we shut down many miracles centres in the State and also we insisted that right candidates should be registered for the West African Senior Secondary Certificate Examination WASSCE. Since then, the State has recorded great improvement in the results of our students in external examination especially in WAEC examination’’, she said.

She however charged the Marshals to live up to the expectations of the oath they took, stating the Ministry will punish any Marshal that is guilty of examination malpractice.