Ike Onyechere, the founding chairman of Exam Ethics Marshals International (EEMI), revealed that 67% of private and public secondary schools in Nigeria function as ‘exam magic centres,’ where examination malpractices thrive.
He disclosed these findings at a news conference on Tuesday in Abuja, which focused on ‘Combating the Dangers of Illegal Levies in Schools: The Role of Parents.
Onyechere explained that many ‘magic centres’ lack the necessary infrastructure and resources to operate as legitimate schools or exam centres but still manage to secure accreditation.
“These centres tend to have small class sizes in earlier years JS1 to SS2 but large populations in exit-year classes SS3, where they generate fake continuous assessment scores,” he said.
According to Onyechere, these centres are often chaotic during examinations, with students, supervisors, and invigilators colluding to cheat.
“Parents are charged exorbitant fees, sometimes in the hundreds of thousands, for the illicit services provided by these centres, which are shared among members of the syndicates running them,” he added.
Illegal levies
Mr. Ike Onyechere explained that most illegal levies were structured as a typical corrupt practice where the amount paid by parents is inflated beyond the actual cost of specific events or projects.
According to him, these levies are disguised under various names, including CBT levy, ICT levy, scratch card levy, building levy, PTA levy, development levy, continuous assessment levy, and external competition levy.
“Others are in the form of club levy, remedial lesson levy, cultural day levy, handout levy, and past questions levy, among others.
“In some schools (public and private), students sitting for post-primary exit exams are required to register for each and every paper before entering the exam hall.
“The preponderance of levies in educational institutions, with all manners of creative names, is beyond description.
“These levies are in the form of typical corrupt practice of marking up the amount to be paid by parents for their wards over and above the actual cost of particular events/projects.”
Onyechere recalled that both federal and state governments had banned levies in public schools, yet many schools still engage in these practices.
Overpricing of WAEC and NECO registration fees
Revealing findings from an EEMI investigation, Onyechere stated that many secondary schools across Nigeria charge far above the official fees set by exam boards.
“A case-in-point is the ongoing registration for 2025 WAEC and NECO exams. The registration for WAEC is N27,000 while that of NECO is N22,500.
“But Exam Ethics Marshals investigations indicate that secondary schools across the country are charging an average of N85,000 for the two exams.
“Some schools go further to add N25,000 logistic levy ‘to help the students pass’,” he said.
The EEMI chairman condemned the illegal levies, describing them as an ‘organised criminal activity facilitated and perpetrated by syndicates.
He warned that if left unchecked, these illegal levies could lead to the systemic collapse of the moral foundation of Nigeria’s education sector.
Beyond the collapse of the system, Onyechere noted that these levies also impose additional financial burdens on parents while fostering irregularities and malpractices in student assessments, evaluations, and examination processes.
Parents need to stop funding malpractice
- Onyechere called on parents to stop paying such illegal fees, emphasising that their actions contribute to the destruction of their children’s future.
- He urged all stakeholders, including those facilitating or collecting illegal levies, to help restore the integrity of the education system by supporting the enforcement of the ban.
- He stressed that curbing examination malpractices was crucial for solving broader societal issues.
- The findings of this investigation raise concerns about the credibility of Nigeria’s education system and the long-term impact of widespread malpractice on national development.
