MDC-T university exam cheat MP worry Chinatomba

Zanu-PF legislator Joseph Chinotimba  raised concern in parliament Wednesday on alleged double standards employed at universities when students and legislators are caught cheating during examinations.

Chinotimba said full time university students are automatically expelled if caught cheating but little action is taken on legislators caught in the act.

Recently, Matabeleland North National Assembly representative Ms Lwazi Sibanda (MDC-T) was kicked  out of Zimbabwe Open University examination room for allegedly cheating.

The incident happened on November 15 at the Harare-Chitungwiza regional campus.

Chinotimba asked vice president Emmerson Mnangagwa what is government policy with regards to cheating legislators.

"We have some students who were involved in violent acts at the University of Zimbabwe and they were dismissed from this tertiary institution.

"Of late, we have an Hon. Member (Sibanda) of this august House who was caught whilst she was trying to cheat in an examination so that she could obtain a degree qualification.  This is destroying our country through corruption because people are obtaining questionable degrees.

"What is Government policy regarding people who cheat in examinations because I have said, some other students at the University of Zimbabwe were dismissed from the institution for cheating yet we have Hon. Members who aspire to be appointed as Ministers or to board membership yet they fraudulently acquire their degrees".

In response, Mnangagwa said   Government has never had meetings regarding cheating during examinations, hence this is a new case.

"But, I remember that when we were still at school, there was a time whereby cheating in an examination was forbidden.  So, maybe we may have to check as to whether this is now allowed because I am not informed of which Member of Parliament was involved in the cheating of examinations and at which college" he is quoted saying by the parliamentary Hansard.