Parents, not students, behind exam malpractice, says Oloyede

Professor Ishaq Oloyede, the former Registrar of Nigeria's Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), has pointed to parents as the main culprits behind examination malpractice, describing their involvement as the most distressing experience of his decade-long tenure.

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The most painful period of my experience in JAMB had to do with the level of involvement of parents in organisation of examination malpractice.

Oloyede stated that many parents actively facilitate dishonest practices for their children, aiming to secure places in higher education institutions. He asserted that candidates are typically not the instigators of such fraud, but rather are encouraged by their parents. "The problem are the parents," he declared.

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They are introducing their wards, their children to the world of criminality.

He expressed deep emotional distress when confronted with cases where parents enabled examination malpractice, questioning the motivations behind such actions. Oloyede stressed that parents should not pass on their own deficiencies to the next generation, a behavior he observed frequently.

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I have no difficulty. And I think most of the candidates are not problematic. They are not the problem. The problem are the parents.

Reflecting on past controversies, including the widely reported "snake swallowed money" incident, Oloyede clarified that it occurred before his tenure. He noted that the matter was recorded to ensure its veracity, as the account was initially difficult to believe. He maintained that while sensationalized, the incident was addressed during his time as registrar.

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Every time I was confronted with the reality of what parents were doing. It’s most of the time I became very emotional about it because I just felt that how on heart will people hate themselves, hate their future to this level.