Ahmed Modibbo Mohammed & Abdurrahman Umar.

The Diploma Disease and The

Challenge of Recapturing The Essence of Education: The Role of Examination
Bodies. Nigeria, National Teachers Institute Kaduna.

Summary of the article

The article. The diploma disease and the challenge of recapturing the essence of education:
The role of examination bodies, by Ahmed Modibbo Mohammed & Abdurrahman Umar
seeks to address about the Diploma Disease in Nigeria and how it is manipulating education
by turning schools into mere certificate-issuing factories. The authors also emphasize about
important of providing meaningful education to everyone. Furthermore, the authors discussed
about the role of examination bodies on curriculum implementation in schools.

In addition, the article highlights about the manifestations of the diploma disease. The authors
even stressed that deterioration in the quality of the education is due to the demand for more
access. It has led to serious negative impact on teacher supply and quality, instructional
materials and workshops. The authors did explain in detail about the dominance of the
banking concept of education in Nigeria.

Analysis and evaluation

The title of the article is very appropriate with the contents. The title is quite long but easily
understandable by the readers. It was made clear in the title that this article is about the
diploma disease and more focused on examination bodies.

The major drawback of this article is that there is no abstract of the content. The purpose of
the abstract is to provide a succinct summary of the contents of the article and is usually 50-
250 words in length. It usually contains enough information to enable reader to decide
whether the article is of interest to them or not. When there is no abstract, readers have no
idea about the contents of the article specifically and confused whether to continue to read or
not.

However, the introduction part of the article is well written. The authors begin the
introduction by explaining about the background of the study. The research problem is clearly
defined in the introduction part. The authors emphasize the significance of the study as well
as the problems faced due to improper techniques of examination bodies. The authors claim
that schools transformed into certificate issuing factories. Children learned mechanically the
format of the examination and learned rules about what each type of item required from them
and also formulae for working answers out. Modern bureaucratic organisations that
rationalise recruitment of persons for jobs by the use of educational records, especially in
general education subjects (Pelletier, 1996).

Ironically, the authors do not state clearly about the methodology of the study. So, as the
reader, we cannot identify the research methodology and any associated limitations of the
research design. The readers have no idea about the participants and the method of sample
selection. So, the readers may questions about the validity and reliability of the findings of
the study.

It is worth highlighting here that the amount of literature the authors reported is reasonable in
terms of applicability and in terms of its amount. This is something which supports the
reliability of the study. The possibility of finding the same results when redoing the study in
similar circumstances and for a similar sample is reasonable.

Meanwhile, the authors also acknowledge the tendency to blame the examination bodies by
stating about the impact of assessment on teaching and learning and the influence of these
bodies on teachers classroom practices and students expectations and attitudes towards the
education. According to Dore (1976), the knowledge that a student gains, is not gain for its
own sake and not for constant later use in real life but for all the purpose of reproducing it in
an examination. Little, A & Jasbir, (1992), states that there is a positive relationship between
assessment orientation at school and innovation and creativity at work in Malaysia and
England.

The Diploma Disease thesis elucidated by Dore (1976) provides one perspective on the
relationship between the quality of the learning process and economic and social
development. In contrast to earlier analyses which viewed educational quality in educational
systems as a function of teacher education and teacher training, the Diploma Disease thesis
posits that educational quality is determined in part by the pattern of use of educational
certificates for labour market recruitment, a pattern whose development varies with the point
in world history at which a country begins its drive towards industrialisation.
In my opinion, I think that the authors should elaborate more about how to combat the
diploma disease. Despite just state that there needs to be a paradigm shift in assessment and
examination bodies need to re-examine their philosophies and practices, the authors should
explain in details how to make a paradigm shift in assessment with proper examples. This
will shows that the authors have actively engaged with the study. It will also help the readers
to find a solution to combat the diploma disease in their respective countries.

Comparing to other countries

Throughout the article the authors underemphasized about the diploma disease in other
countries. Comparing the diploma disease in other countries apart Nigeria, can attract the
readers interest on the article. According to Hargreaves (1997), Egypt is a victim of diploma
disease and it took monstrous proportions on students life. Thus, government employment
was guaranteed to all university graduates when the entry was entirely determined by the
secondary leaving certificate.

Based on the article, qualification escalation in Nigeria has fuelled the demand for more
schooling. This is very similar in the Egypt, where good grades are offered with good job
scope and later may work for the government (Hargreaves, 1997). The use of educational
qualifications for job recruitment has been examined in Sri Lanka, Mexico, Ghana, Tanzania,
Kenya, Somalia, Zambia, Sierra Leone, Liberia and the Gambia (Dore, 1976 & Oxenham, J,
1984).The myth education improves people and that they are getting more value for their
money if they get more education suited the escalation (Fredericks, 2001).

Conclusion

Overall, it is a good article with an important message to readers in academic field. The
authors had managed to discuss the topic critically as they emphasize the role of examination
bodies in diploma disease issue. The diploma disease issue was discussed deliberately by the
authors when they pointed out the outcomes of related studies done by other researchers on
the topic of interest. The flow of ideas was able to be followed as they could link the ideas
together with the input of related researches. The clarity of the authors style and language in
this article can maintain the interest of the readers. The piece, when taken as a whole, is
relevant and convincing in theory.

In order to have more people be engaged and read the whole article it needs abstract of the
article. This article can be improved by emphasize the strategies to combat the diploma
disease. The article will be more interesting if the authors able to compare the issue with
other countries. It can supports more on the claims that authors make on the issue. This article
will be more valid and reliable if the authors able to explain about the methodology.
References

Ahmed Modibbo Mohammed & Abdurrahman Umar. The Diploma Disease and The
Challenge of Recapturing The Essence of Education: The Role of Examination
Bodies. Nigeria, National Teachers Institute Kaduna.

Dore, R. (1976). The Diploma Disease. New York: George Allen & Unwin.

Fredericks, S. (2001). Review of Ron Dores The Diploma Disease in Schugurensky, D. (ed)
Selected Moments of the Twentieth Century

Hargreaves. E. (1997). The Diploma Disease in Egypt: Learning, Teaching and The Monster
of the Secondary Leaving Certificate, Assessment in Education: Principles, Policy &
Practice, 4, 161

Little, A & Singh, J.S. (1992). Learning and Working: elements of the Diploma Disease
thesis examined in England and Malaysia. Comparative Education, 28(2).

Oxenham, J. (1984) (ed) Education versus Qualifications. London: Allen & Unwin

Pelletier, D. (1996). Diploma Disease. Economy and Humanism: from Communitarian

Utopia to struggle on Behalf of the Third World, Paris, 19411966