Tanzania Commission for Universities (TCU)
The programme set to start effective next academic year will, among other things, require all research works to be submitted to TCU for approval before the student graduates.
In a bid to ensure that the system is a success, TCU plans to adopt a computerised online software in a move to check research forgeries and repetitions.
Once in place, the system would symbolise a milestone in committing itself to address the problem of cheating and forgery of research papers that has become alarming in recent years.
Speaking in Dar es Salaam on Monday, TCU Acting Executive Secretary Prof Magishi Mgasa said the commission is seriously committed to addressing the problem.
Prof Mgasa who admits that there is a problem, especially in the area of higher learning research says: “The commission is on course to address the menace.”
“Cheating and duplication of dissertations by dishonest students is disturbing,” he said, adding that that is the reason the Commission is adopting the programme to ensure that every dissertation is screened.
“Every institution shall be required to send to TCU papers by their students through our computerised system to prove that it is an original work. Any student discovered to have duplicated the material shall be considered to have failed,” he warned.
However, he said that some universities such as the Open University of Tanzania (OUT) are already using their own software programme to check forgeries.
Apart from using the software, Prof Mgasa called on higher learning institutions to launch intensive presentation symposiums whereby students shall be tasked to defend their works openly and independently.
An assessment conducted by this reporter in higher learning institutions in Dar es Salaam, Iringa and Mwanza regions last year, found that while some students work hard to prepare their research work, many were only using money to get their papers done by others.
Students interviewed by The Guardian said that some groups of conmen specialised in preparing research papers were selling them at between 400,000/- and 600,000/- per dissertation.
According to the interviewees, after buying the papers the students only embark on editing the works to meet their supervisors’ requirements as well as the university style.
After The Guardian repeatedly published a series of reports on the academic anomaly, Prof Sifuni Mchome then TCU Executive Secretary, resolved to form a special team to investigate the malpractice.
The team comprised TCU staff, police, officials from the Prevention and Combating of Corruption Bureau (PCCB) and university dons.
The team discovered weaknesses regarding supervision of research papers in most institutions of higher learning.
According to TCU there are at least 33 universities and 19 colleges in the country at the moment.
Chevawe Mandari, who is a student at Tumaini University (Makumira) - Dar es Salaam College, commending the initiative, said it will make students work hard on their own ideas.
Theresia Rugemalila, a Third Year student at St Augustine University of Tanzania told The Guardian that TCU’s plan if implemented would be the best solution to reduce the malpractices and make students work hard.
Reuben Mchome, a student at Tumaini University Makumira -Dar es Salaam College was of the view that if the government wants to have good researchers it has to make research a full course in universities.
Meanwhile, TCU announced that the recently approved Student Unit Cost Framework (SUC) will start being applied in the next academic year.
The framework is aimed at guiding institutions of higher learning students on how to pay for their studies.
SOURCE:
THE GUARDIAN
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