SOUTHERN PROVINCE

MUHANGA – A serious row has erupted between students and lecturers at the Catholic University of Kabgayi over exams.

The row started last week with 15 evening students (in the Faculty of Science for Development) accusing the department heads of breaching examination regulations.

The students allege that during the first session examination, in January 2009, the supervising professor, Stanislas Kanyandekwe, denied them the use of class work as prescribed in the examinations guidelines; and the affected students were eventually disqualified.

The students also allege that the course professor, Christopher Mpozayo, had earlier on denied them access to the group work (TP) results of the first session on grounds of failing to attend seven class sessions.

The university administration has recalled the affected students to re-sit the examinations. But the students have refused, unless their TP results are confirmed and rewarded accordingly.

The students argue that they only missed one class session, and were thus unfairly discontinued. If they are readmitted, it means they have to cough out  a fresh  registration fee of Rwf.17,000 while being required to spend another 60 hours (12days) for the Operational research course, which the students are against.

The students claim the faculty is violating their rights and obligations enshrined in university regulations guidelines.  According to our sources, the numerous attempts to resolve the row by the faculty have not been successful, and it has been referred to the university administration for further arbitration.

Ildephonse Nkiriye, the departmental head, insisted yesterday that the affected students had broken the rules and regulations of the university.

In a telephone interview, Nkiriye stated that the students missed the training sessions and will consequently have to repeat the course. 

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