Legal threat over cancelled Unam exams

The Student Representative Council (SRC) at the University of Namibia (Unam) has been left fuming after a decision to declare some examinations null and void, following the leaking of question papers. It has also called for the suspension of a high ranking university official. The students gave Unam’s management until this morning to meet their demands or face legal action. One examination was cancelled just over an hour into the test, while testing for other modules were also scrapped last week. This followed the discovery that the question papers for the Human Resources Management 1A, Strategic Marketing and Financial Management A were leaked to students ahead of time. The university also stopped the Management Information Systems, Operations Management and Strategic Human Resources examinations from taking place. “We the SRC, representing the aggrieved students’ requests, stand against this decision,” said SRC spokesperson Ernst Groenewald. “We… believe that decision was a rigid, ad hoc and unjust... taken without involving and consulting the key stakeholders of Unam.” According to Groenewald these include members of the Office of the Dean of Students, the SRC and the Quality Assurance department. “We are of the opinion that the investigations that led to these decisions were inconclusive and done by the parties directly linked to the state of affairs.” The SRC demanded that the pending investigations into the leaked papers be handled by independent investigators, who are in no way linked to the matter. It also demanded that the three examinations that were already written be validated. “We call for the immediate suspension of Unam’s Registrar, Alois Fledersbacher, who was recently shifted to acting Pro-Vice Chancellor, Administration and Finance.” The Pro-Vice Chancellor, Administration and Finance post became vacant last week, after the suspension of Dr Boniface Mutumba, following a probe by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC). Groenewald said Fledersbacher’s suspension will allow for the smooth running of the ongoing investigations. “We have in our possession a petition and signatures of over 100 students, who are in solidarity with our demands. “We will afford Unam until Monday 10:00 (today) to meet our demands or respond positively. If nothing materialises the aggrieved parties with their legal team will go ahead and file an application at the High Court. We have already been in consultation with our legal team.” Unam’s spokesperson Edwin Tjiramba and his team could be reached for comment.