Dated: 29th June, 2024 (Online Mode)
Participants:
- Aquib Khan, Research Scholar, Department of Security and Strategic Studies, AMU
- Hira Ateeq, Research Scholar, Department of Biochemistry, AMU
- Izhan Ahmad, Student, Department of Physics, AMU
- Areeb Ahmad, Research Scholar, Department of Political Science, AMU
- Mohommad Ghayasuddin, Research Scholar, Department of Biochemistry, AMU
The panel discussion organized by the Siddons Debating Club (SDC), AMU on the topic of Questioning Academic Integrity: Addressing Cheating and Paper Leaks opened with an Ayah from the Holy Quran as the tradition of AMU. It took place online on 29th of June, 2024 in online mode at 9:30 PM and lasted an hour.
The panel discussion consisted of three research scholars from different departments of AMU and two students and research aspirants and was moderated by Mohommad Ghayasuddin.
The session established the importance of education, especially higher education and research and maneuvered through questioning the integrity and the manifestation of deception and fraud in the domain of education. The discussion was not limited to the public examinations only, it also touched upon the more immediate issues of Aligarh Muslim University as well.
Following points were notably raised during the session:
- The integrity of the education system is compromised by the higher ups and political standards as set by the incompetent ministry of education at a national level.
- Only those who are privileged and are able to pay a huge sum of capital can afford to participate in unfair means and paper leaks. And the unfortunate events only take against the interest of hardworking students and worthy.
- Mr. Areeb raised a point in which he questioned whether the recent bill passed to solve the said matters would suffice the compromised academic integrity for the bill is not a preventative one but a punitive one in nature.
- Mr. Aquib Focused upon the lack of transparency in questioning the measures that are taken place to ensure fair standards of examination starting at the university level. He had suggested the solution for ensuring fair standards to be making the CCTV footage and all respective measures to be publicly available.
- Miss Hira Ateeq had raised peculiar points in the interest of research scholars and how the systemic problems and academic quality is compromised by tormenting the research scholars especially in AMU. The instructor-scholar relation is deteriorated by authoritative powers in the hand of instructor and many gaps including gender desensitization take place.
- Points against competitive learning and in favor of encouraging research for sake of interest and pursuing academia not only for gaining a position were added by Mr. Izhan towards the individualistic measures that can be incorporated.
- Mr Ghayasuddin had perpetuated many questions from all the participants regarding how in our university, people with privileged background and having links higher up are acting like termites in the systemic integrity and quality of research of the university as these are the people who further go on to acquire either a teaching position or an official position in the university and further corrupt the system by continuing the cycles. Innumerous replies were received from the participants confirming that this is taking place and measures to control were discussed.
The panel discussion ended with a final question by Mr Ghayasuddin asking the participant one measure to prevent such compromises in academic integrity and the concluding remarks were made in the context of getting legally educated, questioning the integrity at all stages by every individualistic measure that one can take. It was remarkably said that if you cannot take actions against the wrong doings then speak about it, if you cannot speak about it then at the very least, despise it in your heart.
