I was particularly concerned that journalists did not question the contents of these adverts and accused them of doing a disservice to the people of Swaziland.
Now the Ministry of Education has joined in the game. Yesterday, two separate paid-for advertisements / press statements on the dispute appeared in the Times of Swaziland. One was from the Ministry of Education and the other from UNISWA. The adverts have also appeared in newspapers today (Saturday).
Since Swazi journalists aren’t doing their jobs properly let me point out the significance of the adverts.
First the Ministry of Education, which states,
‘Maintenance of high academic standards is important for the university to continue to earn respect not only in the SADC region but also among African, Commonwealth and World Universities, and that its products are competitive in the world labour markets.’
That seems reasonable enough. Who would not want UNISWA, Swaziland’s only university, to have high academic standards and to have the respect of people all over the world? Actually, the answer to my question is UNISWA itself.
UNISWA’s senior management had its own paid-for advertisement / press statement on the same day (which also appeared in the Swazi Observer). Writing about students taking exams, it states,
‘In the event students find difficulty in answering questions based on material not covered in lectures, Senate has advised that students report such instances to their class representatives who should, in turn, inform the Examinations Officer in writing so that remedial action may be taken through appropriate University structures. The Senate took the position that no students should be disadvantaged on account of questions based on material not covered in lectures.’
That is a rather long-winded way of saying that if students sit an exam and they discover they hadn’t covered the topics featured in the exam paper questions because of the class disruptions that took place before Christmas they shouldn’t worry, because they will only be marked on the questions they do know.
Let’s look at that again. Usually a student does a course and is examined at the end of it. If the student passes we can all be confident that he or she has passed the whole course. What UNISWA is saying is that students do not have to pass the whole course, but only the bits of it that were covered in the classes that they happened to attend.
This is a huge mistake and completely undermines the academic integrity of the university. It means that any certificate, diploma or degree awarded under these circumstances is worthless.
If some time in the future you need, for example, an accountant, a nurse or (heaven help us) a journalist and they come to you with a ‘qualification’ from UNISWA, how can you be sure that that person really passed the course and wasn’t just awarded a pass for merely turning up for the exam? We should be grateful that UNISWA doesn’t teach heart surgery.
Once this ruling from UNISWA becomes common knowledge (and it was featured in last night's Channel S news programme) the university and the kingdom of Swaziland will be a laughing stock. All graduates, no matter from which year - past, present or future - will become suspects and none of them will be able to get jobs. People will remember UNISWA as the place where they give their degrees away.
How does any of this sit with the Ministry of Education’s wish for UNISWA to have high academic standards and the respect of the world?
UNISWA’s decision will heap humiliation, not respect, on Swaziland.
See also
SWAZI UNI TRIES TO MISLEAD MEDIA
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