Stakeholders in Anambra, Ebonyi and Enugu states have intensified efforts to curb the activities of so-called “miracle centres”, with education authorities and school administrators adopting stricter monitoring, candidate screening and examination-control measures.
The stakeholders, who spoke in separate interviews with the News Agency of Nigeria said recent educational reforms in the three states were helping to reduce examination malpractice and strengthen the credibility of Senior Secondary School examinations.
They described examination malpractice as a major threat to the education system, warning that allowing students to obtain certificates through fraudulent means could undermine genuine academic achievement and produce graduates who lack the knowledge and skills reflected in their results.
In Enugu, the Executive Chairman of the Enugu State Post Primary Schools Management Board, Rev. Fr. Hilary Mgbodile, said the state had adopted measures to prevent students from moving from their schools to established “miracle centres” to sit for external examinations.
He said the state captures class lists from Senior Secondary School II and conducts verification to ensure that students sit for external examinations in the schools where they completed SS2.
According to him, the policy has made it more difficult for lesson centres and other institutions allegedly involved in examination malpractice to register candidates from other schools.
Mgbodile added that Enugu had introduced external examination monitors and an external examination screening committee to strengthen supervision and ensure that candidates are properly screened before registration.
He said schools could no longer independently approach examination bodies to register candidates without approved lists from the Ministry of Education and the screening committee.
In Anambra, the State Commissioner for Education, Dr Ekene Ogugua, said the government was determined to prevent public and private schools from becoming centres for examination malpractice.
Ogugua said he had addressed principals and operators of secondary schools on the need to enforce discipline and maintain examination standards.
He also disclosed that he conducted unscheduled monitoring visits to schools during the recently concluded NECO examinations to assess compliance with examination guidelines.
Also Read: WAEC reaffirms integrity of 2026 WASSCE results
He said the monitoring formed part of the state government’s efforts to improve accountability and protect the credibility of public examinations.
Ogugua warned that school managers who failed to align with the administration’s education policies could be removed from their positions.
The Executive Secretary of the Anambra State Post-Primary Schools Service Commission, Mr. Benedine Anagor, also expressed support for the government’s position.
He said there had been no reported case of “miracle centres” or withheld WAEC and NECO results in public schools in the state, while stressing the responsibility of school administrators to ensure compliance with examination rules.
Some education stakeholders called for wider adoption of Computer-Based Tests as another way of reducing examination malpractice.
A school administrator, Mr. Ben Edeh, said the use of CBT for examinations such as JAMB had significantly reduced malpractice and could produce similar results if extended to WAEC, NECO and other major examinations.
He argued that CBT would make it more difficult for candidates to depend on outside assistance and would encourage students to prepare adequately for examinations.
A former education supervisor in Nsukka Local Government Area, Mrs. Ann Ugwu, similarly urged WAEC and NECO to accelerate the adoption of CBT for Senior Secondary School final examinations.
She said “miracle centres” gave students an unfair advantage over candidates who prepared genuinely and could contribute to a wider culture of corruption in the education system.
Stakeholders also identified parents, teachers, students and school administrators as part of the factors contributing to examination malpractice.
A teacher, Mrs. Ukamaka Okoro, attributed students’ reliance on miracle centres partly to inadequate teaching and learning materials in some schools. She also raised concerns about the alleged involvement of some teachers and the use of artificial intelligence in facilitating malpractice.
Another teacher, Mrs. Prisca Chimezie, said some parents placed excessive emphasis on examination certificates and encouraged children to seek alternative means of obtaining high grades rather than improving their academic performance.
Teachers also called for sustained monitoring outside examination periods, stronger counselling and tougher sanctions against anyone found aiding malpractice.
Mr. Simon Onyekachi, Chairman of the All Nigeria Confederation of Principals of Secondary Schools in Nsukka LGA, identified examination-paper leakage as another factor enabling miracle centres.
He called for stronger measures to prevent the unauthorized release of WAEC and NECO examination questions and urged authorities to prosecute officials found responsible for such leaks.
In Ebonyi, the Secretary of the Ebonyi Universal Basic Education Board, Dr Livinus Ezeuwa, called for a collective approach involving government, parents, teachers, school administrators and other education stakeholders.
Ezeuwa described examination malpractice as a deeply rooted problem that could not be eliminated through isolated measures.
He said miracle centres were particularly common in some private schools, especially in rural areas, and warned that failure to take concrete action could damage the quality of education and the value of school certificates.
He, however, cautioned that CBT alone would not eliminate examination malpractice without stronger enforcement and sanctions.
Across the three states, stakeholders agreed that sustained monitoring, stricter examination controls, stronger professional accountability, parental guidance and improved learning conditions would be necessary to tackle the problem.
They also stressed that the fight against “miracle centres” must extend beyond examination periods to address the underlying factors that encourage students and parents to seek fraudulent academic advantages.
NAN
