Plans for a national body to tackle research fraud have been published by doctors and scientists concerned that foul play is undermining the good name of science. The Committee on Publication Ethics (Cope) agreed at a meeting in October that concerted action was needed.

The professoriate is a gatekeeper, determining a student's first exposure to ethical standards, traditions. Many observers of contemporary academic culture have documented cases if irresponsible and unethical behavior within the professoriate. Examples include lateness for class, use of vulgarity in scholarly forums, showing favouritism among students, improper use of campus funds, plagiarism, sexual liaisons with students, failure to properly perform administrative duties, and, most basic, unwillingness to uphold the value of truth in teaching and research.

Apparently worried about the products of the different levels of education in the country and the attendant effects of examination malpractice and cultism on Nigerian youth and national development, the Federal Ministry of Education, in collaboration with the Exam Ethics Project (EEP), an educational non- governmental organisation last week held a two-day Education Stakeholders. governmental organisation last week held a two-day Education Stakeholders.

The Exam Ethics Project (EEP), an NGO fighting against examination malpractices, has in the last few years released figures either as profit made from examination malpractice business or those (students, invigilators etc) sacked for engaging in examination malpractice.

Exam Ethics Project has declared Benue State as the highest in national Examination Malpractices Index (EMI), ranking for the year 2005. Federal Capital Territory emerged as the most exam ethics-friendly state with the lowest EMI of 0.43, while Benue State had an EMI of 18.87. The report for 2005 Exam Year indicates that the EMI for all the regions was 6.9 against 16.9 for 2004. This means that examination fraud reduced by 59 per cent between 2004 and 2005.