By Ven. David Chimezie Nwanekpe
Chaplain, Council of Knights, CONNAM | Rector, Anglican Church of the Holy Spirit, Bronx
We are living in strange and troubling times. In an age when access to knowledge, technology, and education is at its peak, one would expect academic excellence and moral discipline to flourish. Unfortunately, what we’re witnessing is a disturbing erosion of integrity across our educational system. Examination malpractice has become the order of the day—and it is killing education in Nigeria.
The Moral Crisis at the Core of Education
This issue is not rooted only in our classrooms. It starts from our homes, churches, and communities.
Parents now fund “runs” and “expo” instead of encouraging hard work. Teachers—once moral exemplars—now participate in selling examination questions or demanding favors to manipulate results. Even our faith-based schools and church-owned institutions are not immune. The Church, the moral conscience of society, has gone increasingly silent—and that silence is dangerous.
A National Disgrace: WAEC’s Shocking Revelation
Just recently, the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) released a list of over 100 secondary schools whose 2025 WASSCE results were withheld due to allegations of examination malpractice.
The list includes some of Nigeria’s most prestigious and respected institutions—many of them private, faith-based, or government-owned. Consider just a few names:
- Babington Macaulay Junior Seminary, Ikorodu
- Redeemer’s High School, Mowe
- Grange School, Ikeja
- Chrisland College (Idimu, VGC, Lekki)
- Caleb International College
- Vivian Fowler Memorial College
- Queen’s College, Yaba
- Loyola Jesuit College, Abuja
- King’s College, Lagos
- Corona Schools (multiple locations)
- Federal Government Colleges (Ijanikin, Enugu, Calabar)
- Nigerian Navy Secondary Schools
- Methodist Boys’ High School, Holy Rosary College, Sacred Heart Seminary, and many others.
These are schools many Nigerians associate with excellence, integrity, and godly values—yet they now face the shame of fraud allegations.
What Are We Teaching?
When students cheat, parents fund malpractice, and teachers sell answers, what kind of future are we building?
Education without character is a dangerous tool. A nation that tolerates or promotes cheating is nurturing a generation that sees corruption, manipulation, and deception as normal.
This is no longer an academic issue. It is a moral and spiritual crisis.
A Call to Action: Let the Church Speak Again
“Cry aloud, spare not…” – Isaiah 58:1
This is not the time for silence. If the Church does not stand against the sin of academic fraud, we lose our voice in society. If religious institutions compromise, where else shall truth be taught?
To All Stakeholders
WAEC’s report is a wake-up call. Let us not ignore it.
To Parents:
Stop aiding and abetting malpractice. Do not trade your child’s future for temporary success.
To School Owners and Principals:
Enforce discipline. It’s better to graduate a few with integrity than to destroy the reputation of your institution.
To Clergy and Religious Leaders:
Preach truth and character. Let our sermons include warnings about dishonesty and academic fraud.
To Government and Exam Bodies:
Be transparent and firm. Do not let politics or connections bury this matter.
Conclusion
If we fail to act, a time will come when schools will still exist, but knowledge, truth, and integrity will not. Let us return to the old paths, where excellence met character, and where the fear of God shaped our children’s minds.
May God help us all.
