ILOILO City – There was indeed a leakage in its recent college admission test (CAT), the West Visayas State University (WVSU) confirmed.
The repercussion? Thousands of aspiring university students would have to retake the exam.
“WVSU has determined in its initial investigation on March 14 that there is indeed a leakage of items in the WVSU-CAT,” read part of the official statement by Dr. Hazel P. Villa, director of WVSU’s Public Affairs and Marketing Communications Office.
Earlier, WVSU president, Dr. Joselito Villaruz, said the school has created a committee to lead the investigation if there was indeed a leakage and who was or were responsible.
Villa, however, declined to disclose the specifics of how the committee was able to determine. She is not a member of the investigation committee.
The final report from the committee is to be expected next week.
“Wait for the findings anytime next week, as well as options to ensure a fair approach to the cheating issue,” she added.
In an article by Forum Dimensions, the official university student publication of WVSU-La Paz, published Thursday night, March 14, Villa said the special investigation committee revealed that some of the test items in a leaked questionnaire bore similarities to the questions that were administered.
“The university strongly condemns the cheating that ensued following the leakage. Individuals found responsible for the leakage will face the full force of the law, based on its findings,” the official statement by Villa added.
Thousands of Hopefuls to Retake Exam
In an advisory on Friday afternoon, the WVSU administration and the Board of Regents agreed to “invalidate the WVSU-CAT 2024 conducted on March 10, 2024.”
“There is reason to believe that the integrity of the examination has been compromised,” the announcement through the WVSU-Office of the University President Facebook page further read.
The date and testing centers are set to be announced soon, and examinees will receive communications from the Admissions Committee on the details through their respective emails.
“While the administration has moved forward through this difficult decision, we assure the public that the ongoing investigation will continue to proceed to identify accountable individuals for this breach. We empathize with the student examinees and their families for the inconvenience this has created. With that, we express our sincerest apologies.
Rest assured that the University stands by the principles of equity and fairness in handling its affairs. Conducting another examination will eliminate undue advantage for specific individuals who may have benefited from the leaked examination items,” the announcement further said.
During the March 10, 2024 exam, of the 20,925 examinees, around 11,600 senior high school students took the test at WVSU-Main Campus in La Paz district here. Around 9,325 applicants took the test at satellite campuses in Pototan, Janiuay, Calinog, and Lambunao, towns in Iloilo, and Himamaylan City in Negros Occidental.
To recall, an investigation committee was immediately formed on Wednesday, March 13, after the issue blew off on social media, including photos of the alleged leaked questionnaire.
“The university takes full responsibility for whatever lapses in the protection of the integrity and the sanity of the examination. We will get to the bottom of this,” Villaruz said, admitting that he had received a formal letter of complaint on Wednesday as well.
In the attached copy of the alleged leaked questionnaire in a letter received by Villaruz, he said some of the items indeed appeared in the WVSU-CAT but not the entirety of it.
“There has to be accountability. That I can promise to the public. You know West Visayas State University has always stood for excellence, integrity, and transparency. And with this issue coming out, I think we have to dig deeper into what caused this issue or problem in the first place,” Villaruz added, saying that the incident is a first for the university.
Below is the Facebook post on March 13 by CJ Gania Barnezo Arrelano, the sibling of one of the exam takers:
“Dear WVSU West Visayas State University, I always admire how great you are as an institution with your principles in teaching and in turning students (into) the best in their respective fields. My sister was one of the WVSU entrance exam takers last week, and it came to their attention later on that some students are studying these bunch of questionnaires before taking the exam, which is exactly the same as the exam they have taken. This is unfair, and it damages your institution’s integrity as a whole. We would like to hear your side about this matter and your explanation.”
Arellano claimed that the leaked questionnaire was sent by other students to his sibling./PN