The African Methodist Episcopal Zion University (AMEZU) has taken drastic decisions against what it termed as academic fraudsters who are bent on tarnishing the credibility of the University.
The syndicate was discovered when a local daily report flagged that the AME Zion University had graduated Mr. Kokolu S. Borvor who was observed to be an academic fraudster.
According to the University’s investigation, Mr. Borvor was expelled from the AME University after it was discovered that he did lie that he had graduated from there.
Besides Borvor and two others not named whose degrees have already been revoked, others risked being dragged that same line are Manum Siaffa, Albert Dennis, Thelma Carter, Emma Somearibi, Gayflor Z. Korkorlo, Kaifa Dukuly, Kolly G. Bryant, Massa S. Martin, Naomi Martin, Sawahbta, Wallo Weab, Bill Kamara, and Olivia Sheriff for acquiring knowledge dubiously.
Those indebted students are mandated to complete their outstanding academic and financial requirements within a one semester timeframe before being qualified as degree earners.
The Department and college affected included the Criminal Justice College, Department of Sociology, the Accounting Department, the Department of Management and the Department of Public Administration.
He said about 69 graduates were in arrears in tuition and graduation fees in excess of US$98,000 and L$1.4 million and that they have been given a 21-day ultimatum to pay their fees for failure to do so will leave the university with no alternative but to revoke their degrees.
Mr. Lartey said it is an alarming report that over 13 of the recent graduates have no academic records or fulfilled the financial requirements as students of the university.
He said some of the academic fraudsters did not complete their requisite courses before graduations thereby announcing, “I further inform you that the University has also found it necessary to revoke the degrees of several students.”
According to the University’s Acting president, Benjamin D. Lartey, on April 22, 2021, the AME Zion University held its 30th Commencement Convocation graduating and conferring degrees on 480 students from seven colleges of the university but it was later observed that more diploma covers were issued to the graduates than the actual number of students that met both academic and financial requirements for the said exercise
“How can we operate as a university and maintain the required standards if we allow people to come here and get educated without paying any fees? This is absolutely unacceptable” the University’s Acting president wondered.
Meanwhile, the university administration has also taken stringent administrative decisions by suspending two of its staff for reported collusion for time indefinite without pay, and the staff members are Mr. Josiah Warmah, the Executive Secretary/Criminal Justice College whom according to the University concealed the information and for singlehandedly processing the fictitiously file of Mr. Borvor.
Mr. Warmah is also being punished for presenting the names of two students who were not academically cleared and also Mr. Danny Horton, the Assistant Dean for Admissions, Records and Registration for what the university termed as handling Mr. Kokolu Borvor’s file and for his deliberate attempts to mislead the Special Investigative Committee.
The other suspended staff for time indefinite off the job without pay included the Director of Technology for inserting names of students in the Souvenir program that were not academically cleared by the Faculty Senate of the University as well as the Vice President for Academic Affairs for two months off the job without pay for going contrary to the traditional norms of the University at which time the Faculty Senate meets for clearing of students, but rather choosing to recommend to the Board of Trustees the clearing of three persons; two of which are students with the addition of the controversial Kokolu Borvor, thereby undermining required transparency.
According to the university, its Vice president for Academic Affairs failed to exercise due diligence in the vetting process of the three persons whose degrees have been revoked.
The University has also warned the Dean for Admissions, Records and Registration to improve its performance and supervision of the University’s Admission Department. However, this paper’s investigation shows that this is not the first time that the university has encountered such situation.