- Kemi Badenoch, a British politician, shared a personal school story from Nigeria.
- She reported a classmate for cheating during an examination, leading to his expulsion.
- Badenoch was often labeled a “tattletale” for her strong sense of fairness.
British politician Kemi Badenoch has shared a personal story from her school days in Nigeria, revealing how a fellow student was expelled after she reported him for cheating during an examination.
In a recent interview, Badenoch reflected on her time in school, admitting that she was often seen as a “tattletale” due to her strong sense of fairness. She recounted one particular incident where she caught a classmate copying answers from written notes during a test. Believing it was unjust to other students, she decided to inform school authorities.
Her actions led to the student’s expulsion, a decision that sparked mixed reactions among her peers. Badenoch said the experience stayed with her, shaping her views on integrity and accountability.
Her words …
“It wasn’t just the swats in the class. I was the person who would say, that person is copying notes from the other person. I was the tattletale in the class, getting people into trouble. Because even then, I hated cheating, because there I was. I wanted to be first in the class, and I’ve done all the work. And then there’s some people who are copying notes, and so why should they get away with it? And so I would raise up my hand. I remember there was this extraordinary day. I must have been about 14 or 15. And I said, he’s cheating. I stood up in the middle of the exam and I stood up and said, he’s cheating, he’s the one that’s doing it. And that boy ended up getting expelled. And I didn’t get praised for it. And I was a relatively popular kid at school. And people said, why did you do that? Why would you do that? And I said, because he was doing the wrong thing. And someone said, you don’t belong here. That you don’t know how to behave. You don’t belong here. And I’ve heard that all my life. You don’t follow the rules. You don’t do what you’re supposed to. You’re always sticking your head above the parapet. You’re too direct. You tell the truth when you don’t need to tell the truth when you should pipe down. And I didn’t belong there. Hang on a second. So you’re 14 years old and in the middle of an exam. 14, 15. 14 or 15, you see a boy cheating in the middle of an exam, in the middle of an exam hall. You stand up and you snitch on this kid who’s cheating. You end up getting expelled. No wonder you’re so unpopular back at school. You sound really annoying. Do you know what? The people who did that sort of thing hated it. But someone did say to me… It was the right thing to do. You were the only person who would ever have the guts to do that.”
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