Esme Jood

Esme Jood

North West University will name and shame students who cheated in this year's examination.

Management at the university's Mafikeng campus said 24 students had been caught cheating and will have their names publicised to set an example for future would-be culprits.

The high number of cheats was uncovered after the university installed hidden cameras and beefed up security during this year's examinations.

These measures were adopted after last year's embarrassing finding that a large number of students who sat for examinations had been substituted for by their friends or "hired hands".

University spokesman Sam Motabogi said some students would come early in the morning to write an exam claiming that they had lost their student card. These students were then required to fill in forms, testifying to being bona fide students.

"We realised the possibility of cheating the system as the student who writes the exam may not be the one who submits the identity," he said.

Motabogi said that as a result of the new strategy, a large number of students were caught cheating during the winter exams this year.

"During these summer exams we caught 24 students cheating and we plan to publish their names to show the seriousness of management."

A final-year communication student interviewed admitted that she had not been aware of the installation of the cameras in the examination hall.