Crusade Against Examination Malpractice Initiative, CAEMI, has proposed the adjustment of school curriculum to include value-based education (VBE) for primary and secondary school students and their parents and emphasise “respect for an appreciation of human dignity.”
CAEMI founder Chibuike Echem said current education system only “trains the head and the hand while leaving out the heart.” “Examination malpractice is the cause of major problems in our country. Once you begin to cheat from point A, you will cheat all the way,” he said at a press briefing in Abuja.
“We have discovered that the major reason for failure in our education system is not that we don’t have smart students or intellectual lecturers, but our value system has been destroyed—where value and excellence are no longer there.”
The VBE pilots in six FCT schools chosen with support from Universal Basic Education Board to form anti-exam malpractice clubs.
Basic courses for junior secondary students include value development and character formation, essence of life, and how to plan, prepare and pass examinations. Advanced courses take on nation building for secondary school students and their teachers.
Value reorientation and authentic parenthood are among courses for parents to be reached through Parent-Teacher Associations as well as social media for younger people.
“We have to start with children,” said Obioma Ezeogbulafor, a businessman concerned about malpractice and what parents are doing to stop it. “But we also need to teach the parents, because we cannot be in every home.”