Imo cracks down on ‘result sorting’

The Imo State Government has announced a crackdown on examination malpractice, particularly the ‘sorting’ of results in secondary schools.

The Imo State Commissioner for Education (Primary and Secondary), Prof. B.T.O. Ikegwuoha, disclosed this in a statement made available to The PUNCH.

‘Sorting’ of results usually involves the manipulation of examination outcomes in exchange for money, favours or other inducements.

It often leads to situations where students and parents give money or gifts to teachers, examination officials and school staff to influence results.

The commissioner, in the statement, said, “A strict crackdown on examination malpractice, including the illicit ‘sorting’ of results by secondary school students and parents, is ongoing.”

Furthermore, Ikegwuoha said the state was aware of principals making illegal demands on parents seeking admission for their children and wards.

He noted that such requests include demands for shovels and cutlasses.

He announced a ban on such acts of extortion as he unveiled two phone numbers where parents can report erring school heads.

He said, “I have gone on undercover visits to schools and discovered rampant illegal cash collections by principals, including extortionate charges and demands for commodities like shovels and cutlasses, among others, as conditions for admission.

These practices have been banned with immediate effect.

Also, the Commissioner announced the establishment of a public reporting mechanism, including two dedicated phone lines for citizens to report any untoward activities in the school system.

Ikegwuoha emphasised that there was an ongoing war against illegal operators and extortionists within the education sector.

This, he said, includes a crackdown on illegal private schools, many of which operate in residential apartments without valid approvals.

He said the exercise was being carried out by a joint inter-departmental monitoring team comprising the Department of Quality Assurance, the Department of Universal Basic Education, and the Education Support Services Department.

“Non-compliant schools were shut down, while others were compelled to regularise their operations.

“In addition to these regulatory measures, the Imo State Ministry of Education has recorded remarkable successes in enhancing academic standards and curbing examination malpractice,” he said.

The commissioner said the crackdown on “miracle” examination centres had led to a significant drop in irregular enrolments and a restoration of credibility in both internal and external assessments.

“Furthermore, the introduction of continuous assessment reforms and teacher capacity-building programmes has improved learning outcomes across public schools.

“Early data indicate higher pass rates in national examinations and increased stakeholder confidence in the state’s education system. These achievements have not only strengthened foundational education but also positioned Imo as a model for ethical and quality-driven school administration in Nigeria,” he added.

He also announced other measures aimed at transparency, including the digitisation of examination result releases.

In a related development, Ikegwuoha maintained that the ban on graduation ceremonies for kindergarten, nursery and junior secondary school classes subsisted.

He added that the pupils in primary 1-5 and students in JSS 1-3 and SSS 1-2 are strictly prohibited from contributing, levying or being compelled to pay any money for send-off, send-forth, or graduation ceremonies of others.

Also, he added that the ban on indiscriminate change of textbooks was still in force.

Ikegwuoha warned that any private school found violating policies would face sanctions, including “immediate revocation and withdrawal of the license to operate, delisting of schools and declared illegal and unapproved.”