By Foday Moriba Conteh
Ahead of the commencement of the second semester examination and as part of their effort in eradicating examination malpractice at Fourah Bay College, the Fourah Bay College Students’ Union Government (FBC-SUG), through its Ministry of Education, on Tuesday 21st September, 2021 launched the Campaign Against Examination Malpractice. The launching ceremony was held at the Student Union Building on Fourah Bay College, University of Sierra Leone.
Speaking during the launch, the Minister of Education of Student Union Government at Fourah Bay College, Alfred M. Sesay, noted that examination malpractice, also known as cheating, is the illegal action that students take during their examinations to try to make good grades by cutting corners of which he said that it is against such a backdrop that the Fourah Bay College Student Union Government deemed it fit to launch such a campaign as part of their efforts in raising awareness on examination malpractice on campus especially as examinations will soon commence.
He recalled that in 2019 students were expelled and rusticated from the University of Sierra Leone due to examination malpractices and that the launching of the campaign will serve as a workforce in order to eradicate examination malpractice within the college.
Alfred M. Sesay maintained that examination malpractice has eaten into the fabric of the education system in the country, adding that the worst thing that can happen to students is not being able to defend their results, which he said is basically the case with those who are tempted to indulge in examination malpractice.
He ended by urging all students to see reasons why they should desist from examination malpractice.
The former President of the Fourah Bay College Student Union Government (FBC-SU), Augustine Bona, also described the issue of examination malpractice as a serious issue that needs the collaboration of all ranging from the college administration, staff and students etc. in order to eradicate it.
He noted that when he took over in 2019 as President of the Fourah Bay College Student Union Government he had to face a Disciplinary committee established by the college to deal with issues of examination malpractice. Bona disclosed that at that time 64 students were facing trial for the said issue adding how the students admitted guilt before a Committee that was set up, pointing out that he felt disappointed as no sober-minded person will like to stand before such a Committee to plead on behalf of the students who have admitted quilt of examination malpractice.
Augustine Bona commended the current Fourah Bay College Student Union Government for the launch of the campaign geared towards eradicating the malpractice. He called on all students of Fourah Bay College and other institutions to discontinue indulging in examination malpractices.
President of the Fourah Bay College Student Union Government, Adama Sillah, stated that as a Student Union Government they do care for the welfare of all students on campus but said that inasmuch as they are fulfilling their mandate, however, students also have the responsibility not to engage in examination malpractices.
She maintained that some students have perfected the various forms of examination malpractice, stating that some of the methods employed include bringing foreign materials into the examination halls, which according to her include prepared notes and materials written on their palms, legs, breast etc. She described such acts by these students as wrong and called on them to desist.
Adama Sillah also pointed out that the issue of examination malpractice is one that has eaten deep into the educational system of the country of which she used the opportunity to admonish students to embrace hard work and avoid depending on malpractice during examinations.
Giving the keynote address, Ibrahim F. Sawaneh Esq. stated that the fight against examination malpractice should be a national call, adding that the fight needs the collaboration of all including the college administration, staff, parents, students etc. maintaining that if these various sectors couldn’t put hands on deck to fight examination malpractice in the country the very objective of turning out educated graduates will be affected.
He said that the college administration has a responsibility to eradicate the malpractice within the campus by instituting policies that will prevent it taking place during examination periods furthering that the college also has an examination body that collects questions from lecturers, reproduce them to be distributed among the students on the scheduled dates but lamented that in most cases the examination body releases the questions before the scheduled dates for the examination which he said is one way the examination body also supports malpractices during examination.
Ibrahim F. Sawaneh Esq said that if examination malpractice must be curbed, a lot of work need to be done by all, adding that it is not only the work of the Student Union Government alone but the college administration which includes the lecturers, the examination body.
He called on all sectors to work together to fight examination malpractice saying when the educational sector of any society is messed up all other sectors will be directly affected.
