At least 110 out of 272 former distance learning graduates of Kigali Institute of Education (KIE) have retained their diplomas after re-sitting final examinations.

This is after the institute had forced them in August last year to re-do exams in Maturing Distance Learning diploma programme, following allegations of examination malpractices in 2006. 

KIE Academic Registrar Augustine Ngabirame confirmed yesterday that the 94 graduates retained their diplomas; while 16 of them will be conferred their diplomas for the first time on March 20.

"We have cleared 110 graduates, but those who failed again will have to re-sit their exams for the last chance,” said Ngabirame.

Most of the affected graduates are teachers who are part of the pioneering 456 group of the programme in 1998. They had had their diplomas cancelled last year after the institute’s senate acknowledged that they had cheated the exams.

The senate, which is the institution’s highest decision-making organ, said the former students cheated the final supplementary examinations in December 2006.
They had graduated in February last year only for an investigation to unearth the alleged irregularities later.

The case was referred to police in mid 2007 for further investigations into the circumstances in which the papers leaked and who the real culprits were.

Asked whether KIE established the real culprits, Ngabirame said: "We have not identified them since police haven’t released findings from their investigations.”
But now the Remera-based institute has decided to clear some graduates so they can retain their academic credentials.

Contacted on Wednesday, the Director of Criminal Investigation Department (CID), Chief Superintendent Costa Habyara, promised to give details of the probe at a later stage.

The cancellation of the diplomas had mainly affected teachers who strived for almost a decade to upgrade their academic standards.
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