THE ROLE OF EXTERNAL EXAMINER IN THE REALIZATION OF ACADEMIC STANDARD IN NIGERIA

Unegbu, Paul Ikechukwu., Ezeobi, Chika Ugochukwu
Publisher: A MULTI-DISCIPLINARY JOURNAL OF THE FEDERAL COLLEGE OF EDUCATION (TECHNICAL), UMUNZE, ANAMBRA STATE {"id":6,"volume_name":"Vol 5 Number 2","created_at":null,"updated_at":null,"url":"volumes\/5.jpg"} (2): 1118-0315: doi: January 2017 Published in 2017

In all degree level examinations in higher education in Nigeria, external examiner occupies an important centre stage in the system of quality control, and assurance of academic standard; and can advise in area of curriculum development of Nigerian institutions. As independent and impartial advisers, the external examiner provides institutions with informed comments on the standards set and student achievement in relation to those standards. This means that the key focus of the external examiner remains to ensure that standard are kept the same across universities, polytechnics or colleges of education and to provide an assurance of fair play given that internal examiners might be prejudiced for or against a candidate orb institution. Thus, the role of the external examiner varies with the level of examination, including to verify that academic standards are appropriate for the award or part thereof; to ensure that the academic standard of institutions in Nigeria awards are comparable to similar awards in same level of institutions in Nigeria; to provide an objective view to the nature and standards of the assessment of students. It is through external examiners that institutions examinations in form of written papers, oral examination, practical, etc are monitored and assessed for fairness and academic standard. For these reasons, this paper attempts to examine the roles of external examiners in the realization of academic standard and highlights the lapses of some external examiners. While the recommendation of this paper in one hand suggest that effort should be made to provide in full to the students all external examiners’ reports with the exception of any confidential report which may be made to the Vice-chancellor or Rector or Provost. On the other hand, it reveals that all tertiary institutions of learning in Nigeria should recognize the importance of the role of external examiner when looking at staff promotion procedures.

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