The Academic Staff Union of Universities has issued a passionate open letter directed at secondary school teachers, proprietors, and parents, sounding a sharp alarm over the rising wave of examination malpractice and the inflating of high school grades across the country. The university lecturers expressed grave concern that candidates entering higher institutions arrive with impressive secondary school leaving results, featuring multiple distinctions, yet lack the fundamental knowledge required to defend those grades.
The union cited numerous frustrating experiences on campuses, highlighting instances where entire cohorts of engineering students carrying top grades in mathematics and physical sciences could not solve basic lower-grade arithmetic, perform elementary fraction calculations, or explain core scientific concepts.
ASUU noted that a similar trend cuts across the humanities and social sciences, where students boasting distinctions in subjects like Literature and Government lack foundational knowledge of basic literary genres or governance structures. The body explained that these artificial grades leave students deeply confused and vulnerable once they encounter rigorous academic workloads at the university level.
The academic body strongly criticized the prevailing practice where desperate parents relocate their children to fraudulent “push-up” or “special” miracle centers during examination classes solely to manufacture inflated results for admission.
ASUU warned that such deceptive short-cuts exploit the children for the commercial gain of secondary schools while setting up the students for immense academic frustration and failure in higher education.
The union observed that when these inadequately prepared students cannot cope with university academics, many ultimately drift into social vices, cultism, cybercrime, and dangerous campus lifestyles.
ASUU appealed directly to parents and educators to prioritize genuine learning over mere certificate acquisition. The union urged school leaders and guardians to allow students to prepare honestly and write their examinations independently, stressing that protecting the integrity of basic education is essential to safeguarding the future of the nation’s youth.
