Indices have proven in recent times,how the credibility of examinations in Nigeria’s increased establishments has come underneath rising scrutiny and doubts. To an ideal extent, the skepticism is on account of allegations of grading bias, and manipulations by lecturers.
Prior to now, all eyebrows gave the impression to be towards college students. They’re perceived to be the one culprits in examination malfeasances, seeing they assume a job of the subordinates,and are principally concerned in dishonest throughout exams,shopping for grades and different associated malpractices.
Nevertheless, as expertise advances, notably with the invention of computer-based assessments (CBT) that enable for studends, to jot down examination on-line and have their outcomes uploaded through the identical means, it’s more and more turning into mandatory, to shift the searchlight towards examination malpractices to the lecturers.
I communicate as we speak as a lecturers, who was as soon as a scholar, however victimized by means of grading bias.
Years in the past, I had causes to affix a number of others, to register our grievances about how our division dealt with the collation of our ultimate outcome— the collations had been taking longer than mandatory, and plenty of of my course mates had been wanting to go for NYSC deployment.
Lengthy story made quick, a few of us who made that journey to highschool had been victimized. Our grades had been diminished, and as such we now have continued to reside with this trauma.
It will be significant I let you know that, there is a chance to ‘name for one’s papers’ in most Nigerian universities, nonetheless, such avenues are nothing however means for additional frustration and victimisation of scholars. If anybody has ever scaled such rigour, then, the share of those that have come out triumphant have to be very infinitesimal.
In many of the instances, college students who register disatisfactions about their outcomes or grades are humiliated and marked down throughout the remarking course of.
Due to naivity that comes with adolescence, most college students who’ve such points favor to be fairly about it. They’re spiraled into silence, understanding doing in any other case might spell doom.
It isn’t misplaced, to say many of the lecturers in our tertiary establishment have assumed the place of the biblical principalities and powers. Many wield a lot powers that, they’ll do and undo simply something, particularly because it issues college students’ tutorial performances.
It’s unlucky that,a problem as mundane and irrelevant to lecturers as intercourse, is used towards some unwilling college students— a lecturer desires to take an undue benefit of a feminine scholar, earlier than such scholar passes her course in any respect, or with good grade. What a sacrilege!
To deal with these challenges and improve transparency and equity,there’s want for shifting from conventional pen-on-paper examinations to Laptop-Based mostly Testing (CBT) throughout Nigerian universities and faculties:
Curbing lecturers’ manipulations, is paramount within the quest for tutorial transparency and integrity in Nigeria. The world had since moved from the place most of our establishments now dwell. The times of submitting your examination scripts to a drug or alcohol-influnced lecturer are over. We should embrace the benefit, pace and accuracy that expertise accords.
With guide grading, the danger of biased marking, grade alterations, and even solicitation of favors (financial or in any other case) is considerably increased. CBTs take away this vulnerability by automating the marking course of for goal questions, decreasing human interference, and making certain that outcomes are based mostly purely on scholar efficiency.
