UNISA management has rescheduled examinations for various subjects after they were disrupted by students who arrived late at the Badminton Hall in Umgeni Road on Monday morning.
Hundreds of UNISA students allegedly demanded to rewrite their examinations after they were attacked midway through the exam by the alleged latecomers.
According to UNISA’s Media Affairs and Publicity manager, Martin Ramotshela, there were some students from Umlazi who arrived too late to write their exams.. “The rule is that they need to arrive 15 minutes before the exam is scheduled to start, but the late students argued that traffic congestion and roadworks delayed them.
“The invigilator’s duty is to enforce examination rules, and when the students were told they could not write the exam as they were too late, the students became disruptive and disrupted the entire exam,” he said.
Ramotshela confirmed the university is currently looking into the incident which took place at the Umgeni examination venue and will take the necessary remedial steps once all the facts have been established.
“In the meantime, the university has resolved to allow all students who were affected to sit for a rescheduled exam on Friday, 19 June 2015. A communication with all the relevant details will be sent directly to the students via sms and other established means of communication between the university and its students,” he added.
Many past students have expressed shock over the incident which saw police called in to control the situation after disgruntled students who had arrived late hammered on the exam centre doors, and hurled stones at students in the exam room who were already writing and at invigilators in an attempt to stop the exam from continuing.
A former student was outraged by the incident, “I wrote 30 exams with Unisa over a 5 year period and with every single one I was warned that, if I arrived late, I would be barred from writing. Once an exam has started it’s disruptive to have students wandering in. If the majority of students can make it on time then why should an exception be made for those who don’t factor in possible delays in getting to the venue?”
The student, who wished to remain anonymous, added that the university’s rules are very clear. “You have to be seated 15 minutes before the time the exam starts. “I have so far never been late. These rules are on the exam timetable. Every exam I write I am frustrated by students arriving in the last 15 minutes and being allowed in. Why are there even rules then? If I got there late and was turned away, I would leave because I know the rules. I leave nothing to chance, I am always early, if there is a roadblock/accident I will have enough time to take an alternative route.”
The students who had arrived too late complained that they previously written exams at an examination centre in Umlazi.
“The issue of the change of venue was communicated timeously to students; as was the set times for all examinations. All students of Unisa are aware of, and fully conversant with, the university’s examination rules, including late coming. These rules apply to all students without exception,” Ramotshela said.
