THE University of Zimbabwe (UZ) has dismissed as a hoax a social media report suggesting that its Faculty of Teacher Education had cancelled and withdrawn diplomas awarded to over 100 former Marymount Teachers’ College students in 2008 over alleged examination fraud.
“This is not true, nothing like that has happened,” UZ spokesperson Danile Chihombori said yesterday.
According to the report, the 100 students sat for the examination in 2008 and the university took time to act because the board of investigation was “facing one of the most subtle and sensitive academic criminal cases, hence the need for cautious and meticulous verification so as to avoid common errors”.
But, Chihombori said some glaring gaps in the report had further exposed that it was a hoax, saying it would have been an anomaly for the university to act on such a matter eight years later.
Progressive Teachers’ Union of Zimbabwe president Takavafira Zhou also distanced himself from statements attributed to him in the report. “I never commented on that. I only got to know about it today.” — STAFF REPORTER
