By Elizabeth Sesay
Elizabeth Sesay ,Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the Milton Margai College of Education and Technology, (MMCE&T) polytechnic, on Tuesday 12th November 2019 revealed at her Goderich campus office that the administration recently investigated and withheld the results of 19 students for examination malpractices, rusticated 13 for riotous conduct during the Students’ Union elections and withheld the results of 9 others for disrespecting the college administration as they sat to the examination while on suspension adding that 14 of the students are from the Goderich campus and 5 from the Congo Cross campus.
She guaranteed that the culprits were thoroughly investigated by credible people who made up the Committee with some of the students even confessing underscoring that the consequences of examination malpractices to the development of the country need not be overemphasized, affirmed that all the students have the right to appeal stressing that the college is determined to eradicate examination malpractices to prevent students graduating empty.
She also disclosed that the administration has dismissed a lecturer for examination malpractices intimating that this is not the first time the lecturer has been involved in the fictitious award of grades to students citing the 2009/2010 academic year, that he was even invited by the police and Anti-Corruption Commission for same on various dates and suspended, the reason the college would no longer entertain him guaranteeing that the investigation was done free of malice, vindictiveness or any other sentiments but just to sanitize the system.
According to the PRO, the administration setup a Disciplinary Committee to investigate the matter after some students complained that some of their colleagues who did not even take the examinations were awarded grades by the said lecturer and informed that other evidences in the possession of the Committee that was used to penalize the culprits are the footages of CCTV cameras of the students who were involved in the Students’ Union election violence, statements from the college’s security guards who saw and identified them and that some of the suspects called the names of their colleague students.
Elizabeth Sesay further disclosed that the students were first suspended pending the investigations and assured that they were given fair trial to defend themselves and that those in the first year were rusticated while the results of those in final year were withheld for a year to serve as deterrent to others adding that those students who cheated were found with foreign materials in examination halls for which they were thoroughly investigated and that some even confessed while others admitted after the evidences were presented to them.
