The state minister for Higher Education, Dr John Muyingo, is concerned about the increasing cases of exam malpractice in nursing and midwifery programs in Uganda. He says that this is a serious problem that poses risks to the country’s healthcare profession.
Muyingo explained that exam malpractice can lead to unqualified individuals practising medicine, which can jeopardize patient safety. He also said that it undermines the integrity of the healthcare education system and makes it difficult to ensure that nurses and midwives are properly trained.
The minister’s concerns are echoed by the Uganda Nurses and Midwives Examinations Board (UNMEB), which is responsible for overseeing the exams for these programs. UNMEB executive secretary Helen Mukakarisa Kataratambi said that the board has seen a rise in the number of cases of exam malpractice in recent years.
“We have had cases of students being found with cheat sheets, copying from each other, and even bribing invigilators,” she said.
In one recent case, a student was found with a piece of paper in the examination room that had written on it the answers to the practical paper questions. In another case, a student was found with a forged examination card.
The UNMEB has taken a number of measures to try to combat exam malpractice, including increasing the number of invigilators and installing CCTV cameras in examination rooms. However, Mukakarisa said that more needs to be done to address the problem.
“We need to work with the schools and the students to create a culture of honesty and integrity,” she said. “We also need to make sure that the penalties for exam malpractice are severe enough to deter people from engaging in it.”
The minister has also called for tougher penalties for exam malpractice. He said that students who are caught cheating should be barred from taking the exams again. He also said that schools that are found to be complicit in exam malpractice should be penalized.
The minister’s concerns are valid. Exam malpractice is a serious problem that has the potential to harm the healthcare profession and undermine the integrity of the education system. It is important to take steps to address this problem and ensure that only qualified individuals are allowed to practise medicine.
General Performance of Candidates
Out of the 34,918 continuing candidates, 30,122 passed their examinations and have progressed to the subsequent semesters. More than 4,493 were ungraded while 156 candidates were discontinued due to exhaustion of the prescribed three attempts of repeating the same paper. Mukakarisa said the discontinued candidates have the option to start the course afresh “if they love the profession”.
The minister congratulated the successful candidates and urged them to continue to work hard and uphold the high standards of the nursing and midwifery profession. He also urged the discontinued candidates to take advantage of the opportunity to start the course afresh and to learn from their mistakes.
The minister’s comments come at a time when the country is facing a shortage of nurses and midwives. The government has pledged to increase the number of nurses and midwives in the country, and the minister’s comments suggest that he is committed to ensuring that the quality of nursing and midwifery education is maintained.