PROBE ECZ SCAM
THE reported scam at the Examination Council of Zambia (ECZ) in which examination results are illegally altered has blemished the credibility and image of the institution.
Management at this vital national institution must thus work hard to repair the damage before conducting the next examination - credibility is at stake.
The ECZ is the nerve centre of examination management in this country from primary to tertiary level and needs a full-proof security system. What could have happed!
Education is the life-blood of any development process which must remain sacrosanct. Any attempts to contaminate the process must be detected and redressed at the earliest stage.
Therefore, the ECZ must come clean over the reported tampering of examination results as alterations can only be done by a person who has unfettered access to the system.
An outsider cannot access the ECZ Information Communication Technology (ICT) system without assistance of or conspiracy with an insider.
On that account, it can be concluded that the interference in the ECZ results system was masterminded from inside.
It is a sad episode that some candidates have been paying money to have their grades improved through dubious alteration in the ICT system.
ECZ management must henceforth weed out any elements involved in this dirty scam that could easily erode the examination body`s credibility.
Law enforcement agencies on the other hand, should hunt down outside fraudsters operating fake Facebook accounts to attract “customers.”
In fact, it appears this scam has been going on for some time and was only laid bare when an “aggrieved” candidate complained that his results were in fact downgraded further after he failed to meet the balance as agreed with some fraudster.
This is a disaster.
In the recent years, the conduct of examinations in school have been fraught with leakages perpetrated by some teachers and their pupils.
However, the rot has now drifted to the nerve centre of examinations, a situation which demands an immediate remedy.
The cancer has come at a time the Government has upscaled efforts to improve education standards through building more schools, improving existing infrastructure and embarking on nation-wide teacher recruitment exercise.
Sadly, societal misfits are busy pulling the rope in the opposite direction through a cartel that has hatched a scheme to adulterate the grading system.
The ECZ has certainly been infiltrated with the aid of insiders.
Management should move swiftly to identify the misfits and purge them immediately so that the credibility of the institution can be restored.
In the past, negative reports about ECZ have been about lost examination results and wrong postings – not illegal alterations.
There is therefore need for a thorough check at all levels so that loopholes are sealed once and for all.
Pupils on their part must work extra hard in their academic assignments and if they fail, they must not resort to illegal means of improving their examination results.
It is an offence to give a bribe to an official in the ECZ while it is equally illegal to receive gratification to alter results in favour of poorly-performing pupils.
The option for pupils is to re-write examinations as external candidates at General Certificate of Education level.
In the meantime, law enforcement officers must carry out a thorough investigation and bring culprits to book.
Government on its part must realign operations at ECZ whose image is certainly not at 100 per cent. It is battered!
Yes, it is evident nowadays that most people do value education and are upgrading their levels; what with the so many education institutions available now.
Therefore, the value of education should not be eroded by a few malcontents and desperate individuals.
As American philosopher John Dewey once said, `Education is not preparation for life; education is life itself. `
Therefore, Zambia must not allow any illegality to contaminate the education system, for education is life itself.