West Visayas State University invalidates admissions exams over leak

BACOLOD, Philippines – The state-run West Visayas State University (WVSU) has invalidated its March 10 college admission tests based on investigation results that showed that questionnaires have been leaked to several examinees.

The decision was announced on Friday, March 15, just five days after the admissions tests were given to 11,600 examinees at its main campus in Iloilo alone.

The WVSU also invalidated the exams given in other testing centers. All in all, around 20,000 examinees were affected by the decision.

In press statement, the WVSU said, “The administration and the Board of Regents have agreed to invalidate the WVSUCAT 2024 conducted on March 10, 2024, based on the committee’s preliminary reports. There is reason to believe that the integrity of the examination has been compromised.”

The investigation came in response to a viral Facebook post on March 13 by the social media marketing director of a consultancy firm, CJ Gania Barnezo Arellano, who called out the WVSU about the leakage.

The post showed his younger sister, who took the exams, claiming that several examinees had copies of the WVSU questionaires before the exams were given.

The WVSU said it would schedule another round of admission tests, which students would need to take again in the main campus and various testing centers. No date has been set as of this posting.

“We empathize with the student examinees and their families for the inconvenience this has created. With that, we express our sincerest apologies,” read part of the WVSU statement.

It also said, “While the administration has moved forward through this difficult decision, we assure the public that the ongoing investigation will continue to proceed to identify accountable individuals for this breach.” 

Members of the WVSU alumni hailed the university’s decision.

WVSU alumnus and Iloilo historian Nereo Lujan said the move showed the importance of keeping honesty and integrity in the educational institution.

“The act of dishonesty, if not corrected, may breed incompetent and dishonest professionals in various fields in the future,” said Radio Mindanao Network (RMN) program director Novie Guazo, another WVSU alumnus. – Rappler.com