the effect of a public service information campaign

CHAPTER ONE

1.0  INTRODUCTION

1.1  
 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

On personal
observation the researcher discovered, after hours of touring the premises of
IMT and ESCET respectively, countless notices of room vacancies at IMT, a few
HIV/AIDS and cultism campaign billboards in both institutions and only ONE
inconspicuously painted sign at ESCET which read, “stop examination
malpractices …study hard”. This goes to show how only little energy has been
channeled towards curbing the vice, under study, present in both institutions
of learning.

Examination
malpractices in Nigeria have attained a frightening proportion. It is
sophisticated and institutionalized. Unfortunately, it involves youth between
the ages of 18-23 years. Efforts by government administrations and various
stakeholders in the educational sector to avert the ugly trend have not yielded
fruit.

According to Eromosele (2001),

      …from
the present trend, examination malpractices will utterly destroy the quality of
education in Nigeria if decisive steps are not taken to avert or checkmate the
trend.

Ruwa (1997)
traced back examination malpractices to 1914. Its situation is so embarrassing
to the nation that the federal military government in 1984 promulgated Decree
20 to deal with it. However, this decree was revised by the Examination
Malpractices Act 33 of 1999. Other measures adopted too were the War Against
Indiscipline and Corruption (WAIC) of the Buhari/Idiagbon regime and MAMSER of
Babangida regime. Despite these steps, the evil continues to eat deep into the
system.

Whereas in the
past students tend to hide examination malpractice acts, now they advertise
them without any fear or shame. Recently, several studies suggest that students
are turning towards more private values, primarily towards self-fulfillment in
a career. The strong shift towards ethical and liberal political values appears
to have slowed. As a result, the trends towards increased social liberalism,
cultism, de-emphasis on automatic acceptance of authority, and examination
malpractices have continued to rise.

One of the
objectives of education in Nigeria is to prepare the young ones to face future
challenges and develop them to meet the nation’s manpower requirements. Schools
need to conduct examinations as a yardstick for assessment. In the recent past,
there has been a renewed effort to wage war  
against corruption at international, regional and national dimensions.
Yet the following questions are unanswered: why have youths decided to join the
corruption train? What are the strategies that have been used to fight this
particular corruption? Why are these strategies not winning the war? What are
the options for winning the war? As it is, the war could be lost forever since
universally accepted and time tested strategies are not effectively or
efficiently utilized.

The intent of
this study is to extend earlier efforts by examining the effect of a public service information campaign (also called Public
Service Advertising-PSA) at IMT (Polytechnic) and ESCET (College of Education)
on examination malpractice prevention. The researcher hopes to contribute
to the continuing elucidation of PSAs on students. She is motivated by some of
the same questions and concerns that scholars have pondered on for decades.
Thus, interest in all levels of education has been focused on its impact on
student values and its role in the creation of socially and politically
concerned individuals. Much research has concentrated on changes in attitude
and personality as a result of the educational experience.

Advertising is
essentially persuasive communication. Thus, the goals set for advertising are
communication tasks: to reach a defined audience, to a given extent, and during
a given time period. The public move from unawareness of a policy to awareness
and then to knowledge, liking, preference, conviction and then action. Public
service information campaigns are non partisan and noncommercial. They promote
causes, influence behavior and advertise locally and nationally social
betterment. According to Igbuzor (2005), there are six questions that should
test the seriousness of any anti-corruption crusade. These are: Is it
systematic? Is it comprehensive? Is it consistent? Does it have focus? Is it
well-publicized? Does it carry people along?

Students are
generally known with consistent mobility; on foot, by public transportation or
personal vehicles. Thus, outdoor advertising is an effective way of reaching
them. It offers the lowest cost per exposure of any major advertising medium,
and it produces a major impact, because it is usually big, colourful, brief in
content and hard to ignore. It primarily serves as a reminder medium. It comes
in posters (billboards), painted bulletins, signs, handbills or even transit
and shelter advertising.

Youths
are one of the nation’s greatest assets. The Nigerian youth grapples with the
problem of corruption ranging from examination malpractices to fraud. It is
incontrovertible that examination malpractice thrives in a corrupt society
which indicates that it is in the psyche of the people. Theories have
maintained that human morality springs from the emotional disposition that is
hardwired in our species. Therefore corruption can only be tackled there.

Through
an effective conscience appeal, this study hopes to provide the answers to most
of the enquiries contained in this segment of the study and the reason more
attention should be concentrated on adopting outdoor PSA measures as a new
strategy towards preventing examination malpractices.

1.2  
  STATEMENT
OF THE RESEARCH PROBLEM

a.     The
time of PSA placement may not correspond with ESCET’s academic schedule.

b.     The
wrong outdoor medium or a poor presentation of the chosen medium is used.

c.      The
location of the medium used is out of place considering students’ mobility.

d.     More
attention is paid to the campaign against other societal ills.

e.      Difficulty
in achieving intended attitudinal results towards examination malpractice
prevention.

These
are the problems which motivated the researcher towards embarking on this
study.

1.3  
  OBJECTIVES
OF THE STUDY

a.     To
ensure that more attention and interest is drawn towards the use of outdoor
PSAs.

b.     To
create a strong conviction in ESCET and IMT’s students towards shunning all
forms of examination malpractices.

To determine suitable placement locations for the medium considering students’
mobility