35 nursing students to repeat year over forgeries
...Claim victimisation, say others were allowed to redo work
To ensure the students do not commit the same offence, they will be closely monitored, the university said.
The University of Namibia (Unam) has announced that 35 nursing students - who were on regional placements during the Covid-19 lockdown - will be repeating their final year after they allegedly forged signatures for their logbooks.
This was discovered last year, when the university investigated the students’ logbooks and found irregularities.
Namibian Sun has learnt that the students, who are currently in their fourth year, were informed about the repetition last Friday. An external investigator was brought in and investigation results were provided to the university in June this year, the students said.
The group is currently considering pooling money for legal representation, with some students claiming victimisation because when others were found guilty of the same offence, they were allowed to redo their practical work instead of repeating the entire year, they said.
Closely monitored
Shahid Shu'aib Dickson, Unam’s assistant director for corporate engagement and international relations, said students’ practical logbooks are thoroughly checked for authenticity as it sometimes happens that signatures are forged.
He said the university is serious about implementing its code of professional conduct, adding that action will be taken against those found acting outside this code.
“Any student who has been informed to repeat a module underwent a disciplinary hearing after a proper investigation was done by both the school and the investigation office of Unam,” he said, adding that no student will be told to repeat a year unless the evidence prevails.
Dickson said for the university to ensure that the repeating students do not commit the same offence, they will be given a special timetable and be closely monitored.
No mercy
A student who is non-compliant with the code of conduct is not worth being in the nursing profession as patients’ lives are at stake, he said.
“The university should be allowed to conduct investigations and execute firm sanctions. Unprofessional conduct is not acceptable in the nursing profession,” Dickson stressed.
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This was discovered last year, when the university investigated the students’ logbooks and found irregularities.
Namibian Sun has learnt that the students, who are currently in their fourth year, were informed about the repetition last Friday. An external investigator was brought in and investigation results were provided to the university in June this year, the students said.
The group is currently considering pooling money for legal representation, with some students claiming victimisation because when others were found guilty of the same offence, they were allowed to redo their practical work instead of repeating the entire year, they said.
Closely monitored
Shahid Shu'aib Dickson, Unam’s assistant director for corporate engagement and international relations, said students’ practical logbooks are thoroughly checked for authenticity as it sometimes happens that signatures are forged.
He said the university is serious about implementing its code of professional conduct, adding that action will be taken against those found acting outside this code.
“Any student who has been informed to repeat a module underwent a disciplinary hearing after a proper investigation was done by both the school and the investigation office of Unam,” he said, adding that no student will be told to repeat a year unless the evidence prevails.
Dickson said for the university to ensure that the repeating students do not commit the same offence, they will be given a special timetable and be closely monitored.
No mercy
A student who is non-compliant with the code of conduct is not worth being in the nursing profession as patients’ lives are at stake, he said.
“The university should be allowed to conduct investigations and execute firm sanctions. Unprofessional conduct is not acceptable in the nursing profession,” Dickson stressed.
– [email protected]
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