The Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria (CIBN) says it has commenced plans to adopt “Remote Online Proctoring” for the conduct of its professional banking and certification examinations.

Mr. Nelson Olagundoye, Head, Corporate Communication and External Relations, said on Tuesday in a statement in Lagos that the new examination mode would commence in April 2021.

According to him, the new mode of examination is in line with the strategic intent of the Institute to stay ahead of the curve.

Online proctoring refers to a digital form of assessment which enables candidates to sit examinations from any location.

Olagundoye said approval of the initiative had been granted by the highest decision making body of the institute.

He said that it would further position the institution as a foremost and world-class professional body.

“Remote Online Proctoring is the digital and live form of assessment, which enables candidates to write their examinations online in a remote location of their choice duly certified and surveillance- monitored as cheat-free to ensure the integrity and sanctity of the examinations.

“Students must confirm their identity and location which will be closely monitored via a live webcam/video proctored software throughout the course of the examination.

“The proctored examination will ensure the identity of the candidates, flag any irregular behavior, scan and ensure the integrity of examinee’s environments as well as to detect any instances of fraud or suspected violation(s) of the rules by the candidates,” he said.

Olagundoye also said that the move was a response to the Global pandemic which had significantly disrupted the examinations of professional bodies all over the world.

He recalled that professional bodies all over the world had to postpone their examinations from March as a result of the total lockdown of economic and social activities occasioned by the pandemic.

Olagundoye believed that the new examination mode would allow the institute to increase the frequency of its examinations and the geographical spread of the candidates.

Besides, he described the institute as a trailblazer and the first professional body in Nigeria to fully migrate its examinations to Computer-Based Testing (CBT) platform in 2018