The Imo Government has set up a monitoring committee to checkmate malpractices, as the 2023 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) begins.

Commissioner for Education, Prof. Johncliffe Nwadike, disclosed this while speaking with newsmen in Owerri, on Monday.

Mr Nwadike, a former head, Department of History and International Studies at the Imo state university, Owerri, said all possible loopholes for examination malpractices had been blocked.

He said the committee would rove from one part of the state to another to ensure strict compliance with set standards for the examination.

According to him, a special team had also been set up to monitor members of the committee and make it difficult for them to compromise standards.

“The Permanent Secretary of the Ministry and I set up a special squad to monitor the committee and supervise the supervisors to ensure strict compliance with set standards.

“We interacted with the WAEC Coordinator in Imo and carried out sensitisation in schools on the need for principals to nominate as supervisors those who can protect their integrity.

“We also organised a workshop for supervisors, where we told them that violations of guidelines for the exams would attract sanctions such as suspension, demotion or outright dismissal,” he said.

Mr Nwadike said that reagents and chemicals required for laboratory tests were ready, adding that candidates in the state would not lack any necessary items needed.

He, however, assured Imo people that the ministry was working in close cooperation with the Federal Ministry of Education to ensure the release of all outstanding results for the 2022 WASSCE.

The commissioner urged candidates, schools and supervisors in Imo, to fully cooperate with the arrangements to ensure a smooth conduct of the examinations.

He expressed confidence that students in the state would excel in the examinations.

(NAN)