Ubteb executive secretary Onesmus Oyesigye told The Observer that the regulations have been revised to uphold the integrity of the board examinations and the validity of its certificates.
NEW REGULATIONS
According to the new regulations, Ubteb will cancel results of the entire semester for candidates who will be found copying, smuggling unauthorized materials, plagiarizing, using mobile phones, programmable calculators and writing on their body parts or clothes.
For impersonation where a candidate or any other person attempts to sit or sits an exam for another candidate, results for the entire semester will also be cancelled and the impersonator handed over to police for prosecution.
The regulations further indicate that caution will apply only to candidates found writing on question papers and taking out unused exam answer booklets. However, in cases where a candidate assaults a fellow candidate or an examination manager, he/she will be cautioned and have the matter referred to police. A candidate who commits an offence and appears before the board for the second time shall be given a heavier penalty.
“A person who has been previously cautioned shall have results for the relevant paper cancelled if found guilty again for the same offence,” reads the guideline.
“A person who has previously had results for the entire semester cancelled, shall be cancelled again in addition to being suspended from Ubteb examinations for an entire academic year.”
The regulations become tighter for offenders appearing for the third time.
“We shall just cancel all your results and disqualify you from the programme. This means you will go and do other things but no longer be eligible to sit any examinations conducted by Ubteb,” Oyesigye said.
During the May/June examinations, at least 21,697 sat the exams while 5,309 missed some papers. The board did not register any leakages of papers but registered 72 cases of malpractice from 12 centres. The board heard their pleas and has recommended caution and cancellation of results for 56 candidates. The other 16 candidates did not turn up for hearing by the security committee and fresh summons will be issued to them in two weeks.
Ubteb board chairperson Eng Dr Silver Mugisha said cancellation of results is not always the wish of the board but sometimes, “you have nothing to do for a greedy cow. We have tried to lead our people not into temptation and deliver them from evil but we still have problems.”
Mugisha added: “These 56 candidates are like cows that are normally slaughtered on Christmas but we do pity their parents. It is not a good idea for parents and guardians to pay fees and then results of the candidates are cancelled.” He appealed to principals of institutions to be proactive so that they reduce on malpractices.
WHY THE MALPRACTICE?
According to the state minister for Higher Education, Dr John Muyingo, some students are not properly taught which creates panic, thus cheating in examination rooms.
“I am not happy to hear that even at this level people dream about malpractice when it is very clear that if you lack the skill, you will not be employed. It sickens to hear such things,” Muyingo said, upholding the board’s decision for caution and cancellation of results.
Oyesigye observed that there is a mismatch between the teaching methods and the requirements of delivering the reviewed curriculum that requires great innovations in the delivery methods, positive attitude and skills in using instruments and instructional materials. This may, possibly, lead to cheating.
In some cases, he said, the training requires deliberate instructor-led research; all these are minimally visible in the answer scripts of the candidates, and calls for a deliberate strategy to re-tool all instructors. A business candidate who preferred anonymity but sat the June examinations said cases of malpractice were recorded among technical candidates at their institution.
“During our June briefing, the academic registrar said in the May examinations, several technical students were caught cheating and made to write statements confirming the offence in presence of Ubteb invigilators. The registrar made a strong warning to us to avoid falling prey of the same,” the candidate said, adding that other technical candidates were caught exchanging answer booklets in the examination rooms.
In the new rules, two supervisors shall be assigned at least 30 candidates for both practical and theory exams. Nathan Itungo, the proprietor of Makerere Business Institute (MBI), warned that unless heads of institutions become more vigilant, the vice is likely to surge.