Harare Poly students up in arms with college administration over blocked 2023 examination results
By Delicious Mathuthu
Over 300 students from Harare Polytechnic College are up in arms with college administration over November 2023 examination results which have been withheld allegedly for cheating and missing course work files.
Most affected students are those doing Programmable Logic Controllers, Entrepreneur Skills Development and Electrical Instrumentation, among others, who are said will have to repeat their modules and pay fees to do so.
Cheating claims at the college, allegedly contributing to the blocking of the results, include alleged copying in the examination rooms, students paying off lecturers for marks and course work while those who have modules deffered are said to have also cheated or failed to submit their coursework files.
The results span from the National Foundation Certificate to the Higher National Diploma level.
The November/December 2023 HEXCO examination results release was announced early February 2024 by Higher and Tertiary Education, Innovation, Science and Technology Development Permanent Secretary, Professor Fanuel Tagwira for all institutions under the council, however, those of the affected Harare Polytechnic students were either blocked or deferred to date.
The aggrieved students say they have pleaded with responsible authorities to address their problem and weed out those who they say cheated instead of implementing collective punishment affecting them en-mass, to no avail.
They have also escalated their plea to the Higher and Tertiary Education Ministry offices and also taken the legal route, having already engaged lawyers.
Several students who spoke to Kwedu News over the issue on condition of anonymity said they have no money to re-do the modules and only want their results released so that they proceed with their studies.
They also accused the institution of having a shambolic filing system and an insensitive administration, which has affected them.
“Kuchikoro kwedu vakatiitira mashura, kutiisira maR e-deferred mamwe mamodule apa malecturers ndo anga asina kumarker, vakuty hanzi mofanira kutangidza kuita mamodule mobhadhara mari nyangwe ndimiwo (At college they have done a shocking thing, they gave us Rs for deffered in some modules yet it was the lecturers who had not marked. They are now saying we have to redo the modules and pay fees).
“Toda vagadzirise not at our expense (we want them to fix that but not at our expense),” one of the aggrieved students said.
“As for us Electrical Instrumentation Students, our November 2023 results are blocked or with-held.
“We asked the school why our results are blocked and they haven’t given us a reason why they did that. We asked the Head of Department (HOD) and the reason we got was that ‘you cheated’; but how can a whole class cheat in a room full or invigilators, and he was also part of the lecturers invigilating us,” another aggrieved student said.
He said the reasons being given by the HOD of one of his modules, one Mr Mubindi, are unsubstantiated.
“Reasons like we cheated or copied, entered the examination hall with disks (small papers) or cellphones when we didn’t do such, are irrelevant.
“Some reasons include that lecturers were taking money from students for marking of tests and assignments but we didn’t do such,” the student said.
Alleged cases of lecturers taking bribes to do work for students are not new at Harare Poly as investigations show that some students have tried to expose the academic crimes, but to no avail.
“Instances of these cases were reported to the Principal because we have a case back in 2022 when a student wrote a letter to the Principal explaining how some Lecturers were taking money, but this situation wasn’t corrected, meaning the Principal was aware of these cases in his house,” a source from within the institution said.
Students say they should not suffer for the sins of a few and their Lecturers.
“If our results are blocked because of such reasons should we all suffer for what some students and Lecturers did when we were not part of it?” One student said.
They say they want their results released but the college is denying responsibility for losing student coursework files or blocking the results, putting blame on the Higher Education Examinations Council (HEXCO).
“[They said] its not the school that blocked the results but HEXCO did. But HEXCO did not communucate with the school about our case.
“So what we want is the unblocking of our results as we didnt commit any crime, those who cheated or did some sort of irregular misconduct were caught, so why do we have to suffer for other people’s crimes or what they said in their hearings.” Another student said, confirming the cases of cheating at the college.
On missing coursework files he said “marks were submitted including files with our assignments but they are saying the coursework we did is invalid because we paid off lecturers and stuff.”
Some accused the college of having a poor filing system at the institution leaving their work exposed to vandals.
“The school does not have a proper filling or logging system at the file room. I think you know that once they open, it was basically open for everyone and that’s mismanagement on their part.
“They failed to safeguard those files from vandalism but they are punishing the student for that,” another student said.
Called for a comment over the issue, Harare Polytechnic College Principal, Dr. Tafadzwa Mudondo said the issue was out of his hands.
“Results are not published by the institution, results belong to HEXCO not the institution.
“Those are candidates, not students. If its candidates they belong to HEXCO, if its students they are ours; so the issue that you are asking about is for candidates,” Dr. Mudondo.
He said the students should address their grievances to HEXCO, not the college.
One student who has been seconded to take up the issue for redress on behalf of the aggrieved students said response from HEXCO was that they have their results; but believe the college Principal is not being honest about the issue.
“Hexco verbally responded that they have got our results. So we advised them to put that in writing.
“Principal Mudondo is very stubborn though ainyepera (lying that its) HEXCO kuti ndivo vakaronga zvema (who planned) Rs and blocked results. So we will update you on Wednesday (March 27) as we have to file a High Court application,” the student said while updating his colleagues.
He added that the lawyers that they have engaged will officially write to the Principal over the issue.
HiThe results span from the National Foundation Certificate to the Higher National Diploma level.
Kwedu News failed to get in touch with Higher and Tertiary Education, Innovation, Science and Technology Development Spokesperson Chipo Mayeza as her mobile phone could not go through by the time of publishing.
