KAMPALA – Last week on Tuesday, Daily Monitor published an article on how students of Kyambogo University have devised new tricks of cheating during examinations by hiding answers in their undergarments and face coverings. This was confirmed by Prof. Eli Katunguka Rwakishaya himself as the University Vice-Chancellor. If am not mistaken, the ultimate reason for students not only Kyambogo but averagely most Ugandan institutions to cheat is to pass exams, especially on a national level.
Mr. Patrick Kaboyo was clear enough in his article “Redirect Moral of learners”, this was published in the Monitor on Wednesday, December 8, 2021. To a larger extent I support his ideas, you can’t stop corruption without going to the roots and hope to fail corruption and its generation, likewise, you can’t stop cheating exams in schools without knowing the gravity to why it is now deeply growing in most institutions.
For most students, the truth is that they cheat because they did not do the work required to obtain the grade they wish to have. As many explained in their answers, laziness, lack of preparation, poor time management, poor study habits, bad teaching, fear of failing, desire to get a good grade. Generally, if people fail to do things in the right way, they find solutions in the wrong way. Similarly, students also do the same.
Men will always go to greater lengths to avoid what they fear than to obtain what they desire. The most cited reason is that Uganda is facing a high rate of nepotism and corruption in its government. Students of this third millennium no longer cheat because they don’t know, they have all tools to let them have what they need, instead, they have advanced in knowing plus understanding than before!
Why are they fearing their future and resort to cheating? One time, the Ugandan president was very clear that he will soon begin employing children of the rich as the possible means of stopping corruption. But children of the rich already have a wide knowledge of corruption than children of what I may call peasants, nepotism is largely portrayed in this system which frustrates students from peasant families to study hard and excel in exams than availing cheating.
A hungry person will never plan properly than one with food, the end result is to steal so as to get satisfied. Students who have no hope for a brighter future and whose parents are not well placed in these noble offices like of ours in Uganda will have to strive and apply the double effect theory to get whatever they need. To have a better position in this country, one needs to cough good notes of money, this cant favor those who don’t have it and what to support their vitae. After all, most students are not ready to study hard yet they know the noble families will have the first privileges to get to those offices.
The Ministry of Education and Sports will have a great challenge of fighting the disease of cheating exams in most schools unless the government thwarts the virus of corruption and nepotism with a strong arm, the two are the very reasons to why cheating is having roots. And the government should not forget that this will later breed poor performance in government duties now and in the future, advocating for poor services and a challenging world in the near future respectively.
Students are ready to cheat and avail more tactics in order for them to excel in exams unless they have peace of mind that their future will be based on their fruits, presence of job creation and corruption-free state. This is the most reason to why sophism is increasing in our societies, simply because survival is for the fittest. The rich are growing richer and the poor are growing poorer, and in the end advising possible means for having better papers is through cheating so that they can be on a safer side, that is when luck knocks at their door.
Sem. Robert Bigabwarugaba
robertbigabwarugaba@gmail.com
Katigondo National Seminary
