No fixing of marks in USIM, says ministry thesundaily.com

by Tan Yi Liang

newsdesk@thesundaily.com

PETALING JAYA: An investigation into allegations

of marks-fixing at Universiti Sains Islam

Malaysia (USIM) by former law lecturer Yasmin

Norhazleena Bahari Md Noor found no proof of

her claims, said the Higher Education Ministry.

In a statement issued yesterday to refute

Yasmin’s claims, the ministry’s director-general,

Radin Umar Radin Sohadi, said: “USIM

has proved there was no marks-fixing in its

investigations, and the allegations of such a

practice are wholly untrue”.

“The statement by the minister of higher

education (on June 25) that marks-fixing is

wholly unacceptable is true,” it said.

It pointed out that a thorough examination

was conducted by the ministry after receiving

Yasmin’s complaints in June last year.

“After receiving the first complaint on June

10, 2008, the Ministry of Higher Education

began an investigation into the matter, evaluating

the manner in which exam scripts were

evaluated and whether there was injustice to

the complainant,” it said.

The Public Complaints Bureau had also

investigated the matter, and decided no further

action was required, it said.

The statement said USIM has clear internal

rules and procedures in the marking of exam

scripts and grading students.

“The USIM system of assessing and marking

exams has clear policies and procedures. Every

exam decision is discussed and examined at

the undergraduate examiners committee

meeting at faculty level, before being brought

to the university senate for validation or re-examination

if there is any doubt to its fairness,”

it said.

The ministry also said USIM had received

MS ISO 9001:2000 accreditation from Sirim,

which proves USIM has clear and transparent

systems for its examinations,” it said.

USIM’s public relations offi ce said the matter

had been settled and it was “no longer an

issue”.

Advertisements