Letter to BaretaNews: “DEPOLITICIZING THE EKEMAGATE SCANDAL”
Dear Bareta News
This letter serves to discuss the fake saga of Ekema’s documents. While many are seeing this as a means to nail Mr. Ekema down politically, permit me claim that we should shun all these political feelings and look at things objectively. It is just so unfortunate that this happened at a time when the country is under serious political crisis. This does not mean that if it occurred in a time of peace, it will have been swept under carpet.
I know there are many out there who have faked their ways to prestigious universities, acquire degrees and are swimming big in the job market. This should be a worry for the education of the country. I am not by this saying that they should be left to go scots free if at all there was a means to get a hold on them. I will like to look at this issue from an educational stand point with an objective mind though I know many will still tie it to politics given that Ekema has taken a stand that many have seen as a Judas amongst the twelve given the political atmosphere in the Cameroons. One of the greatest pride of a university is the classification of its degrees and research out puts.
This is further linked with the profile of the Alumni with whom they always pride themselves as a university to follow a dream. It is unfortunate that in our case, everything has been politicized so much so that all these characteristics have been given second or even last positions on the prerequisites of our centres of knowledge. By definition, a degree is awarded not only on the basis of academic excellence but also by worthy of character.
This later condition is added as a means of assuring employers that the said university is offering to employers someone with dignity and competence. For this to happen at this state of our history and to one of the best universities of the nation, it casts doubt not only on the victim but also on all its alumni and those still taking studies there.
In western societies, this is a serious crime that can lead someone to jail. For those who are engrave in academia will agree with me that plagiarism has become a very serious academic crime that can lead to the withdrawal of certificates. I have seen professors being investigated, suspended and dismissed for the mere fact of plagiarising someone’s work. To avoid this, universities have put in place mechanisms to combat it. For example, any Master’s and PhD thesis in a country like South Africa is scanned in an electronic system called “Turnitin”. Once the results show a percentage greater than 10%, the student is called upon to review the work. From this level, the thesis is sent to internal and external examiners for review and marking.
It suffices to say that once the thesis has gone out, both the candidate and the supervisor take responsibility for any form of plagiarism. Once the result is out, the university publishes the thesis online for further verification for a period of five years. At any juncture where there is doubt, be it during or after graduation, the university reserves the right to withdraw the degree once there is authentic prove that the student cheated.
Looking at what happened in the above case, my conviction is that there was corruption at the highest level of the university. From the admission of this student right up till his graduation and post-graduate studies. I have friends who could not gain admissions into UB just because of cut-up points. They were forced to study in different universities because UB wanted to maintain a high level of educational standard. For this to come out now makes mockery of that claim. My cry is that the new VC has a lot to maintain the integrity of this citadel of learning. Ekema to my opinion is not the only one parading power with fake doki in his pocket. To me he is a victim of circumstance and should be used as a stepping stone to clean the house.
I remember sometime in the past, the then VC, Dr. Dorothy L. Njeuma visited some universities in Europe and asked them to double check the certificates of students purportedly from UB. The same scenario happened to one Cameroonian who had gotten a job in the US army but upon verifications, he was dismissed and sent back to Cameroon for this crime. These are actions that must be supported. Education is not a piece of cake. It is difficult to sit down, theorize and craft out a thesis that is worth the salt to obtain a Master’s OR PhD certificate. To turn aside and see an official lording over a municipality like Buea means that we are a society that supports mediocrity in the name of education. It is therefore compelling that this Ekemagate should be an eye opener to many.
For those who think that this has been planned to bring down Ekema, please also understand that as former students of UB, it becomes important that we decry this act. It may now push foreign universities to start investigating every student who presents a UB certificate. While I will applaud that to happen, I also think that it creates an atmosphere of doubt which may down grade our credibility as a people. Also think of those who are studying in UB now and have the intentions of studying abroad. Some universities may out rightly refuse to admit a student from UB base on such negative attributes. Even lecturers and officials of UB who attend conferences may have explanations to give to international partners and colleagues on such negative attributes. Let’s leave politics and think rationally.
Achiri Atanga
The political Historian
