The Federal Government has issued a sweeping directive mandating all examination bodies to clamp down on so-called “miracle centres”—notorious hubs for aiding large-scale examination malpractice at the secondary school level.
In a statement on Tuesday, the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) announced that the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, has ordered an immediate crackdown on schools and computer-based test (CBT) centres found to be facilitating coordinated cheating.
According to JAMB’s spokesperson, Fabian Benjamin, the new policy stipulates that any centre implicated in mass malpractice will be derecognised for a period determined by the examination body involved. This sanction will be simultaneously enforced by other key bodies such as WAEC, NECO, and NABTEB to ensure uniform accountability.
“This will send a very strong signal to operators of these miracle centres,” JAMB stated.
Beyond institutional penalties, any candidate found guilty of examination malpractice will face a three-year ban from participating in any external examinations. JAMB added that the sanction would be enforced using the candidate’s National Identification Number (NIN).
The board also cited Section 16(2) of the Examination Malpractices Act, which empowers examination bodies to share information on offenders to enforce cross-body sanctions.
The overarching goal, according to JAMB, is to curb the alarming rise in examination malpractice and restore credibility to Nigeria’s secondary education system.
The directive takes effect immediately, with JAMB urging students, parents, and the general public to take heed.