A JUDGE , JURY AND, POLICEMAN , I AM NOT ......

After last Friday's episode of someone being caught cheating in an examination, and this is 4 days ago, there has been some disturbing development by certain quarters of the students.

Initially I did not want to write anything specifics , but when my integrity and credibility as a lecturer is being tarnished behind my back, I had no choice but to protect my reputation.

Perhaps, as I always would when there are 'disputes', I shall state the development in chronological order.

Morning of Friday 19 th June 2009,

CCSS 23-24 and CBDS 8-9, are sitting f0r their ENG 411 Final Exam Paper on the 6th. Floor.

I was invigilating another examination (CCNS 1-2) on the 5th. floor. Both exams are my papers.

After starting my my at 9. 9.30am, I went up to the 6th. floor to check the CCSS and CBDS exam. I helped their invigilator to distribute the answer scripts and question papers and waited if there were any questions from the students. questions.

At about 9.50am, I went back to my own examination room which was on the 5th. floor.

About 20-30 minute later, I received a call from the invigilator on the 6th. floor to come up. I thought someone had a query. So I went up.

On reaching the 6th floor, I saw two lecturers and a male student were standing st the corridor. I was told the student the student was caught red-handed with a piece of official answer paper with notes fully written on both sides of the paper, and I had a talk with the student.

1. He begged me to let him off on the grounds that this is the first time he has ever done this. (THAT to me , is already an admission of guilt.)

2. I told him that that is not for me to decide as I was not the invigilator or manager.

3. I chided him for doing something stupid.

4. He said he regretted it.

5. I told him to go back to the room , and whatever it is, finish the exam first.( Technically and according to the procedure, he should be sent to the office immediately and barred from entering the exam room ! But I gave him the undue beneft of the doubt.)

6. At about 12.00pm., this boy and a girl came down to the 5th floor where I was invigilating and again begged to be let off.

7. I gave him the same reason that it is not up to me as I wasn't the one who caught him nor was I the manager ! But they insisted and waitd outside my classroom. Since I had an exam to look after, I left them and went in the exam room.

After the exam, I had a serious thought about this case. To me this is a serious case as every exam will reveal a few cases of students cheating in one form or another. So I posted a blog on this with NO MENTION OF THE STUDENT'S NAME NOR ANY DETAILS ABOUT THE SUBJECT OR FLOOR . i INCLUDED A BADLY BLURRED IMAGE OF THE INCRIMINATING WHICH AGAIN HAS NO NAME ON IT.

I thought that was the end of it. But I was wrong.

SATURDAY 20th. JUNE 2009.

At about 11.54am, I received an sms from a number not listed in my phone. It was from the girl who accompanied the male student to see me when they completed their exam on Friday. ( I will post the sms on this blog tonight and I leave it to the readers to interprete the tone and spirit of the sms. Although she has apologised, new devvelopment forced me to do so.)

In that , I will not go into her rambling of psychology, emotion effects on the person concerned or her statement which can be interpreted as a 'warning', but only on her defence excuse of her friend.

She said thet :-

• 
  
  he was not copying
  
• 
  
  the exam has not started as they were just writing their names on the answer scripts.
  

My arguements against her logic are :

• 
  
  If the answer script have been distributed , then the EXAM WOULD BE CONSIDERED AS STARTED.
  
• 
  
  Once the answer scripts have been distributed , the onus is on the student to see that no suspicious and incriminating papers are on the table or anyehere reachable during the exam
  
• 
  
  AND THE FUNNIEST THING IS THAT, THE STUDENT WHO WAS CAUGHT ALREADY ADMITTED HIS GUILT WHEN HE PLEADED WITH ME ON THE GROUNDS THAT THIS IS THE FIRST TIME HE HAS EVER DONE CHEATED IN AN EXAM THE FIRST TIME I MET HIM AT THE CORRIDOR.
  

The biggest question is : How come this female student friend of his said that he WASN"T cheating ???????????????

So now it has come to my knowledge that the same female student has submitted a letter (not sure if it is a 'petition') to the office that she doesn't want me to teach her class next semester.

That is fine with me .

I will not lose sleep over it as there are other classes that I can give my knowledge and experiences

I hope this posting will clarifying whatever rumours that had been started by certain quarters for their agendas.