As the 2023 West African Examination Council commenced at different centres across the State, the Imo State Goverment has threatened to sanction any supervisor or coordinator who engages in any form of examination malpractices.
State Commissioner for Education, Professor Johncliff Nwadike disclosed the government’s decision during a chat with journalists in Owerri.
He maintained that any supervisor or coordinator caught in this act would face total expulsion and outright sack.
The commissioner revealed that already the Ministry of Education had set up a monitoring committee that would move across the 27 Local Government Areas of Imo State to monitor the exercise to ensure that supervisors and coordinators comply with the laid down rules.
According to him, the Ministry has also set up another special squad to also monitor the monitoring committee, adding that this would check the Committee.
The commissioner disclosed other steps the ministry had taken to ensure that the examinations are conducted in the state seamlessly which include holding interactions with the examination coordinators and supervisors.
He said that the ministry had also engaged the stakeholders in different communities in a meeting to ensure adequate security for both the supervisors and students, staff of the ministry during the period of the examination.
Nwadike warned the local vigilante and the community people to stay clear off the examination halls to avoid any embarrassment.
The Commissioner who condemned the nonchalant attitude of some private schools in the state who failed to comply with the guidelines, disclosed plans by the state government to deregister such schools from the system.
He explained that already there is a standard procedure for registration as well as guidelines and laws that regulate opening of Private Schools in the state, adding that they must have approval from government before embarking on their operations.
He said: “Private Schools are established to expand the frontiers of teachings and learning but not as a business ventures”.
Professor Nwadike regretted that most of the private schools do not have qualified teachers and do not go for remedial, while he assured to embark on inspection of private schools in the state very soon.