Fresh controversy at GMIT over exam appeals

Date Published: 14-Feb-2013

BY DARA BRADLEY

The trade union representing lecturers at Galway Mayo Institute of Technology (GMIT) has formally complained that senior management within the third level institute has breached guidelines in its handling of students’ appeals of exam results.

It has been confirmed to the Galway City Tribune that the TUI (Teaching Union of Ireland) has launched a “collective grievance” procedure at the Dublin Road college in relation to how student complaints about exam results were dealt with.

The fresh controversy of lecturers’ concerns about bypassing proper procedures in GMIT comes as the institute awaits the publication of the long-delayed external investigation into plagiarism, and a possible cover-up of plagiarism, within the college’s School of Business. That unprecedented investigation was launched nearly two years ago but still hasn’t concluded. It has racked up costs in excess of €225,000.

In this latest controversy, members of the GMIT branch of TUI said they have “grave issues” with how the institute has handled a complaint by a student about the examination results awarded by one particular lecturer in the Mechanical and Industrial Engineering Department.

It is understood that an engineering student didn’t advance to the next year of the course because he had failed one or more modules that were needed to progress. Institute procedures were not followed, according to staff, when the student registered his complaint, which was subsequently turned into an appeal, but he was apparently cleared by senior management to progress to the following year.

At a recent branch meeting, attended by 23 teaching staff, a motion was passed by a majority which expressed “dissatisfaction at how (management) . . . has handled student complaints by breaching institute guidelines”.

The minutes of the December meeting, seen by this newspaper, show that senior management was criticised prior to the passing of the motion. The minutes were ratified at the most recent meeting a fortnight ago.

The minutes, which are strongly worded and which reflect the anger of lecturers present at the meeting, said: “It would appear that senior management at GMIT have flouted appropriate mechanisms, not used internal boards, and disregarded national laws in their handling of this matter. “

In a statement yesterday the college said: “GMIT is satisfied that normal industrial relations procedures have been followed in dealing with this matter.”

For more on this story, see the Galway City Tribune.