Students at the Kigali-based School of Finance and Banking (SFB) now have only one opportunity to pass an examination after the administration dropped supplementary examinations previously offered to those who had failed the initial sitting.

According to Dr. Papias Malimba Musafiri, SFB’s Vice Rector for Academics, those who fail will have to re-take the class.

Musafiri explained that the school regulations in 2010-2011 stipulated that students who failed to score 50 percent in a course’s examination were given another chance.

"The new rules stipulate that students should repeat the course if he/she fails to score 50 percent in its exams,” Musafiri said.

"They will repeat the subject as many times as possible, but they must complete their degree programme within six years,” Musafiri said.

Most degree programmes last four years.

"Since we target quality output, we reasoned that repeating the subject will motivate the student to pay more attention in class and carry out more research”.

However, some of the students differ with the new rule.

A third year student, Alain Ntambara said, "In our year, almost three quarters of students who sat for Financial Management exams had to do supplementary papers. That means that over 400 students would repeat the subject, I think this is not feasible.”

Jean Nepo Habiyaremye, a fourth year student said: "Supplementary exams motivate you to work harder to be promoted (to the next level); but direct repeats will always disrupt students and some will end up not graduating even in the six years provided.”

Meanwhile, 36 students were recently discontinued from the 2011-2012 academic year after failing examinations or poor class attendance.

According to Steven Ankunda, SFB’s Guild President, some of the discontinued students were in their fourth and final year, a scenario that sparked a rift between the students’ body and the university administration.

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