THE menace of examination malpractice has taken a dangerous and disturbing turn in recent years because parents, teachers, supervisors, and even school managers are directly involved.

In some instances even officers from the regulator, the Examination Council of Zambia are involved. There has been instances where supervisors are bought by parents, pupils, or students to enable the latter to engage in examination malpractices. The supervisors or invigilators allow pupils to take questions papers outside the examination room.

At times, questions are answered by teachers and the solutions distributed to candidates who contribute money to finance the deal.

Teachers encourage students to be dishonest and forget about reading their books, all because of money.

For example in 2012, the Examinations Council of Zambia (ECZ) recorded 542 cases of examination malpractices, while out of these cases, seven were reported at grade seven, 220 at grade nine while 315 were recorded at grade 12 level.

And out of the 542 cases, 463 had been resolved while 51 were still pending; adding that 21 of the candidates had their results released arising from lack of evidence.

About 463 candidates with cases of malpractices had their results nullified comprising 179 at grade nine and 284 at grade 12 general certificate examination level?

ECZ executive director Michael Chilala said teachers were among the culprits in the vice as they even engaged in writing examinations on behalf of pupils.

In one incident, Mr Chilala said, a deputy headteacher assisted his son to write the examinations and in another, a security officer assisted a workmate during an examination session.

However, a Times investigations show that some teachers involve themselves in examination malpractices because they want to make extra money, while for others it was for want of sexual favours from female pupils. Teachers steal examination papers during the verification period when the papers arrive at schools.

It is also believed that the verification team which comprises the headteacher, subject teacher, and head of department sometimes connive to make money by selling examinations papers to private schools, parents and individuals. Non performing teachers are also the main culprit in assisting pupils with answers so that they are promoted on the pretext of hard work.

There are also instances where couple teachers write examinations on behalf of the weaker partners sitting as external pupils.

It is, however, difficult to establish if someone is writing on behalf of somebody because people register at centres where they are not known to the invigilators especially.

Other causes of examination malpractices include lack of teacher's total commitment to teaching poor training, lack of adequate learning facilities and incessant industrial action by teachers.

The other causes are negligence of duty and carelessness on the part of people handling examinations, poor implementation of continuous assessment, absence of severe punishment for cheating parties and desire to pass compulsory subjects.

Effects of examination malpractice include discredits Certificate where employers of labour require certain skills from clear employers based on the certificate they held.

These employers are disappointed when their employees perform grossly below expectation. The other effects deny deserving pupils or students opportunities for admission. The decreased job efficiency is another serious effect which has an impact on the Gross domestic Product(GDP)of the country.

It also has an effect on the general quality and standards. Examination malpractices also delay the processing of examination scores and grades where, every year, many students are caught for engaging in various examination malpractices which needs to be investigated before results are released.

On addressing the matter, Mr Chilala warned that teachers found wanting would be expelled from the teaching service. Mr Chilala said ECZ had introduced a toll free line (8383) for voice and short message service, which the public could use in reporting cases of examination misconduct or malpractcies.

He announced that the council had this month closed district examination fee collection accounts countrywide to ensure reconciliation and adherence to best practices in managing financial resources.

He said schools and districts would deposit money directly into one collection account using a customised deposit slip and had further opened a bill master account with Zanaco in Lusaka for collection of various fees.

Mr Chilala said examination time-tables would be revised with grade seven examinations starting on October 14 and ending on October 18, while grade 12s would start on October 4 and end on November 8, meaning grade seven and nine results would be expected to be released in time for the pupils to open at the same time with others.

Zambia National Union of Teachers secretary general Newton Bbubala said the union was concerned about the increased examination malpractices saying the vice has affected the education standards in the country.

Mr Bbubala, however, urged the ECZ to scrutinise some private schools which are examination hosting centres because they are not credible and therefore questionable. "You can see from the number of hosting centres at private schools that have been closed permanently due to involvement in examination malpractices, it is therefore imperative that all questionable ones are dealt with," Mr Bbubala said.

He said some ECZ officials, headteachers, and supervisors connive to provide answers to the learners so that the private school can achieve a 100 per cent pass rate which acts as a marketing tool for the school. Mr Bbubala said it for this reason that some pupils fail during the first year at the university because they do not actually qualify.

He, however, said ECZ should clamp down on poorly established private schools because they are contributing to falling education standards in the country.

Mr Bbubala said ECZ should release and state what sort of punishment has been meted out on the erring teachers so that it acts as a deterrent measure for other would be offenders.

Other ways to eradicate examination malpractices, Mr Bbubala said there should be adequate teaching to prepare pupils way before examination and also in a good learning environment.

"Students should be made to know the importance of education and as such be serious with their studies, because education is the key in our generation now because everything going on in the world now is science inclined and more educated people are needed in our society nowadays to run the affairs of our country," Mr Bbubala said.

Mr Bbubala said there should be proper restoration of adequate supervision of teachers.

He said there should be general improvement in the moral status of the entire society so that everybody acts in accordance with the rules and regulations. "Moreover, proper and impeccable sanity should be restored in all examination bodies so that all the corrupt officials can be showed their way out of the system " Mr Bbubala said.

On the way forward, Mr Bbubala said the union had engaged various stakeholders like parents, Members of Parliament, the Church, and other local leaders in the community to help eradicate the vice.

He said a serious sensitisation programme has been going on for some time in order to address the problem. Basic Education Teachers Union of Zambia (BETUZ) director of public and international relations Hillary Chipango who echoed similar sentiments added that the reasons teachers give for their involvement in the malpractice are flimsy to even talk about.

Mr Chipango, however, said some of the reasons were monetary gains and other selfish gains ,sexual favours from female pupils. He however, said the affirmation of secrecy which the teachers undertake prior to exams should be taken seriously because going against it is a criminal offence in the laws of Zambia.

Mr Chipango said with the massive investment in the sensitisation programme, there is an anticipation of reduction in examination malpractices to negligible levels.

However, considering the impact of examination malpractices on the development of the country's economy, the education sector in particular, it is important that a multi -sectoral approach is applied in order to fight the vice holistically.