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Former Vice Chancellor of Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Prof Michael Faborode, has said it would be difficult for Nigeria to eradicate certificate racketeering among Nigerian youths studying either at home or overseas.
The don said he based his view on the fact that most Nigerians, including parents, nowadays place more value on negative things than positive ones, reports Nigerian Tribune.
He said children nowadays have many distractions from serious reading and studying, identifying the craze to get rich quickly and free access to the internet as major ones.
Faborode, who made this observation in an exclusive interview with our correspondent yesterday, said what makes the situation worse is the emphasis being placed on acquiring certificates without considering the ability of the holders to defend such certificates, and the connivance of some parents and even teachers to aid exam malpractice.
He said that even in schools where the leadership does all they can to prevent racketeering, some school workers, particularly those in charge of exam records and certificates, would compromise and engage in racketeering without considering the ripple effects of such actions on the larger society.
He said that was also one of the strong factors for mass failure among students in public exams such as UTME and SSCE in the country.
Faborode, who is also a former secretary-general of the Committee of Vice-Chancellors of Nigerian Universities (CVCNU), pointed out that unlike now, students in the olden days studied hard by burning the midnight oil to earn whatever grades or scores they had in their exams.
“This is no longer the case nowadays as society has really played down on the value system. People don’t seem to value hard work as one of the means to achieve success in life,” he said.
He added that he didn’t know where to place a father helping his son to sit for an exam, noting that such instances really showed how degraded the value system had become in Nigeria.
He, however, urged those who indulge in such practices to desist, as nemesis will catch up with them one day.
