The University of Calabar (UniCal) has suspended a lecturer, Joseph Akpan, for alleged misconduct involving the manipulation of exam results.
The institution’s Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Florence Obi, announced the suspension on Wednesday in Calabar.
According to Prof. Obi, Akpan, who served as the Head of the Department (HOD) of Pharmacology, is accused of altering 235 exam result scripts out of 242 that were under his care.
The scores were reportedly changed in the Introduction to General Antimicrobial Pharmacology (PHM 311) course results.
The Vice-Chancellor emphasized that Akpan used his privileged position as HOD to tamper with the students’ scores, leading to his suspension pending further investigation.
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“The lecturer also (allegedly) gave out marks to two students, who did not participate in the examinations,” she said, adding that only five scripts were genuinely marked without alteration.
The V-C alleged that Akpan admitted the misconduct before the Senate Examination Misconduct Committee, (SEMC).
According to her, the lecturer allegedly admitted that he inflated the scores of students in PHM 311 in order to protect the image of the department, which management finds ridiculous and unacceptable.
“Consequently, the management of the University has directed that he should be relieved of his appointment as HOD and Coordinator of PHM 311, as well as suspended from duty with effect from Oct. 8, 2024.
“Akpan’s official responsibilities are to be reassigned to other qualified lecturers in the department.
“He has also been directed to stay away from the university forthwith unless while responding to the invitation of relevant committees,” she said.
(NAN)