Are universities being too harsh on the blacklisted former student?

Editor,The sole purpose of serving time (in jail or wherever) is so that you take full responsibility. I am therefore not sure why they need to go ahead and blacklist her, or rather deny her the chance to go on and further her studies. For me, this is totally unfair and unacceptable.

Thursday, June 13, 2013
Students at SFB. Ugirase has been blacklisted for forging a transcript to get a job. The New Times /File.

Editor,The sole purpose of serving time (in jail or wherever) is so that you take full responsibility. I am therefore not sure why they need to go ahead and blacklist her, or rather deny her the chance to go on and further her studies. For me, this is totally unfair and unacceptable.By being sentenced to one year in jail, no one can deny that justice has been served. I think the system is broken and should be reviewed. The argument about sending a strong warning is equally weak. I think it has to be one or the other, but surely not both - serving time and then again being blacklisted.Lee, Kigali, Rwanda**************************The problem isn’t forgery, but the series of harsh and personal vendetta against her. What the woman did is surely against the law and must be punished accordingly; but what I am asking myself is: Where do universities get the power to blacklist a sentenced person? Which law are they using to support them? I think this is ignorance of the law that governs courts and organisations. How in the heavens do they impose their own laws? How do they come up with laws that are different from what we have in our constitution? Nobody is supposed to be blacklisted or marginalised after serving the penalty. For example, why does a former Mayor get re-appointed to serve the country after finishing his sentence on corruption charges, and why can’t it be the same for others?Let the universities know that what they are doing to this poor woman is against the law and that we are ready to challenge it in the court of law. Henry, Kigali, Rwanda**************************Universities have no power to blacklist anyone, and by the way, that’s an indication that even holders with so called documents have no expertise to be in some positions. If Rwanda Education Board can make such a huge announcement of blacklisting someone after conviction, then this is a destructive vendetta aimed at her.I am sure some maliced people are behind making this woman swim into misery. But frankly, with a state of economy in Africa where people are striving to survive and make their lives better, do you really think you’ve done the right thing? Really?If she managed to work for the NGO for five years, that alone shows how competent she was. You should not have forgotten that forgiveness is everything and that the poor woman has a baby to take care of!Mugisha, Kampala, Uganda

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