Chadema: Why there’s cheating in exams

Dar es Salaam. The shadow minister for Education, Science and Technology, Ms Suzan Lyimo (Chadema), has attributed the recent incidences of examination cheating to lack of concern for teachers’ welfare.

Speaking in the city yesterday during the World Teachers Day, Ms Lyimo said apart from ethical challenges surrounding the leakages, the problem was highly contributed to by poor teachers’ benefits including salaries.

The National Examinations Council of Tanzania (Necta) nullified exam results for some primary schools in the country, including those in Chemba and Kondoa districts in Dodoma Region due to alleged leakage of Standard Seven examinations.

Other primary schools whose examination results were nullified are Hazina, New Hazina and Fountain of Joy of Dar es Salaam and Mwanza’s Alliance and New Alliance.

But, Ms Lyimo who doubles as a Special Seats MP on Chadema ticket said the incident was disappointing and painted the picture that Tanzanian teachers had given up due to grievances in the profession.

“For instance, teachers have been denied promotion for up to ten years and those who have been promoted were yet to receive new salaries and benefits,” she said.

She said lack of motivation had caused some teachers to engage in unethical conduct.

When asked why the incidents were recorded in private schools alone, she said such institutions were struggling for popularity and business prosperity, especially during enrolment.

“Parents and guardians opt for schools with the best performance, that’s where the problem begins. Otherwise, it doesn’t make sense that well motivated teachers who receive timely, good salaries would have engaged in cheating,” she observed.

He called on the government to increase its investment in the sector to enable the country to realise its industrialisation agenda.

She also proposed changes in the curriculum and structure of examinations that would see the removal of multiple choice questions and reinstate short answers questions.