COMMON SOCIAL PROBLEMS IN NIGERIA

• Examination Malpractice
• Cultism
• HIV/AIDS

Meaning of Contemporary Social Problems

Contemporary Social Problems in Nigeria

1. Examination malpractice
2. Cultism
3. Terrorism
4. HIV/AIDS
5. Human trafficking
6. Prostitution
7. Drug abuse
8. Ritual killing
9. Area boys syndrome
10. Militancy
11. Political killings
12. Rigging of elections
13. Advance fees fraud (419)

Examination Malpractice

Causes of Examination Malpractice

1. Crave for good grades: The crave to earn good grades in order to secure white collar jobs or gain admission to higher institutions.
2. Laziness: Those who are too lazy to study will not have the required knowledge and so want to cheat during examinations.
3. Truancy: Some students absent themselves from classes only to come to examination halls with intention to cheat.
4. Lack of self-confidence: Due to lack adequate preparation, most students lose confidence in their ability to pass and so resort to cheating.
5. Lack of enough provision for higher education: There is always the lack of enough space for all to gain admission into higher institutions of learning in the country. This constitute a serious factor for cheating in order to score high cut-off marks.
6. Preference for some courses of study over others: Parents feel proud if their children are admitted for courses like Medicine, Law, Architecture, Petroleum Engineering etc irrespective of whether their children possess the ability and interest for such courses. In order to be ranked among the successful in the society, they encourage their children in cheating to pass requisite subjects at high grades.
7. The desire to live big: Many students prefer pleasure to hard-work, yet they want to live big in the society. Hence they resort to cheating in examinations to secure certificates that will guarantee their success in getting high paid jobs.
8. Overpopulation in many schools: Since the few who do very well may be promoted or admitted into higher institutions. Students therefore cheat in order to excel in the exams and over their mates.
9. Corrupt invigilators and Supervisor: The students know that if they offer bribes to invigilators, they will be allowed to cheat in the examination hall. Worse still, the proposal to offer bribe for cheating will in some cases originate from the supervisors or invigilators.
10. Many students are desperate: Many students think that passing the examination is a “do or die” affair. They want to excel by all means. Some wants promises from parents fulfilled, others want to be on TV or newspaper as the best in one form of the examination or the other (though cheats hardly excel).

Effects of Examination Malpractice