By Hajaratu Kalokoh
The University of Sierra Leone (USL) has rusticated 65 students following the conclusion of investigations into examinations malpractice. The cheating was said to have been committed between 2017 and 2019.
According to a statement issued by the USL, 45 of the sanctioned students are from Fourah Bay College (FBC) while the remaining 20 are from the Institute of Public Administration and Management (IPAM). The rustication penalty ranges from one to two years depending on individual cases.
Nine other students were expelled from the university.
IPAM and FBC are two among the three constituent colleges of USL. The College of Medicine and Allied Health Sciences (COMAHS) is the third.
Tonya Musa, the Director of Media and International Relations at USL, told Politico that COMAHS was not included in the press release because the situation there was not as bad as in the other two colleges.
“The situation at COMAHS is not as great as FBC and IPAM. There were only two people who were penalized at COMAHS and this is why COMAHS was left out [in the press release],” he said.
Musa added that the affected students could challenge the decision if they so desired.
Earlier in the week, prior to the publication of the decision, the USL had published names of students who were under investigations and requested them to contact the university authorities.
The rustication affected students across all levels. Musa said even guilty students who were on the verge of graduating would not get their degrees or diplomas until the end of the rustication period.
This is one of the highest number of students the University has rusticated at a go for examination malpractice in many years. It comes at a time when the larger education system of the country is under scrutiny for the pervasive nature of examination malpractices in public, school and college examinations.
Earlier this year there was a huge public outcry when pupils were caught blatantly cheatring at examination centers during the just concluded secondary school-leaving WASSCE exams. In some of those cases the pupils resorted to violence against invigilators who were trying to stand between them and the integrity of the exams.
The university authorities hope rustication will serve as a deterrent.
(c) 2019 Politico Online
