ILOILO City – West Visayas State University (WVSU) has assured to investigate the allegation that there was a leaked questionnaire in the recently concluded WVSU College Admission Test (CAT).
Dr. Joselito Villaruz, WVSU president, said a letter reached his office yesterday afternoon to complain about the alleged distribution of the questionnaire to some exam takers before the scheduled exam. WVSU-CAT was held on Sunday, March 10.
Of the 20,925 examinees, around 11,600 senior high school students took the exam at WVSU-Main Campus in La Paz district here, while 9,325 applicants took the test at satellite campuses in Pototan, Janiuay, Calinog and Lambunao towns in Iloilo, and Himamaylan City in Negros Occidental.
Allegations further blew off when copies of the alleged leaked questionnaire circulated on social media platforms.
Below is the Facebook post yesterday by the sibling of one of the exam takers, CJ Gania Barnezo Arrelano:
“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.
On his part, Villaruz admitted that he was shocked by the information he received while promising to look into the matter.
“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, and we will have to really find the real reason if this actually happened or if somebody leaked it to some of the students who took the exam. We really cannot tell at this time because, as I’ve said, gina-imbestigaran pa namon subong,” Villaruz said during an Aksyon Radyo Iloilo interview.
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 it is a first and one that requires a proper investigation.
WVSU has created a committee to lead the investigation if there is indeed leakage and who is or are responsible.
The university president assured those who took the exam that WVSU gives utmost importance to integrity and does not tolerate such.
The issue that arose, according to Villaruz, is also an opportunity for the university to review its arrangements, procedures, and policies for holding the exam and install mechanisms to avoid any kind of leakage. (With a report from Radyo Pilipinas)/PN
