Invigilator’s Attitude And Its Relationship With Exam Failure Amongst Students

An invigilator could be a staff, or an external body that oversees and ensures that exams are written in a conducive environment that will give students, ample opportunity to focus on their works and also militate against examination malpractice.

Dissemination of rules and regulations as regards the conduct of an examination is one of the responsibilities of an exam invigilator.

Enforcement of such rules is equally one of them.


Now, an invigilator is not just there to monitor and prevent a student from cheating during exams. It is rather horrifying to note that invigilators have turned themselves into wolves and lions and as a result, students no longer see them as their guide, but a nightmare!

I am very much concerned because we are leaving untouched, one of the key factors responsible for examination failures, especially in Nigerian tertiary institutions and which has gone a long way to encouraging what we call ‘sorting’

Examination rooms or classes are supposed to be conducive enough so as to enhance students’ ability to focus completely on their work. That is why notes like “Exam In Progress, No Noise’ are usually pasted on the doors, walls and other strategic positions informing people that absolute silence is needed in that very environment.

Unfortunately, those who make these laws are the ones who break them.


I have been in an exam hall where I nearly raised the class on an invigilator who kept screaming at one student after another, and succeeded in distracting everyone. Luckily, the H.O.D was around and the lecturer was sent away from the class.

Students are issued out codes of conduct in an exam hall, but lecturers and invigilators are not issued same in an exam. Is this right? Does an invigilator have the right to distract you in your own exams? Does a lecturer have the right to slap you in an exam? Does a lecturer have the right to scream, discuss with other lecturers, make and answer phone calls, laugh and sing inside an exam hall?

These attitudes by Nigerian lecturers have become a nightmare which unknowingly, is a key contributory factor to series of examination failures.

Invigilators are supposed to guide and put students through when they encounter challenges during an exam. Students should be at ease and should feel comfortable beckoning on you for assistance when the need arises.

How can a student recall and put down correctly what he or she was taught, when the invigilator’s screaming keeps ringing in their heads? Whoever performs well in this condition?

How can you pass your exams when you keep hearing invigilators discussing about how they made merry and danced last night in the club and how he managed to wake and all what not? How will you perform well when your attention is divided?

Please, whoever buys this idea, should share this. Lecturers and invigilators need to be issued codes of conduct in an exam room.

Michael Doo

via Loud Naija Media