PENANG, 25 June 2022 - Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) has established a special committee comprising of external experts to review the outcomes of the examination system and process, more specifically in the Medical Sciences higher education degree that it offers.

According to USM Vice-Chancellor, Professor Dato' Dr. Faisal Rafiq Mahamd Adikan, the committee will scrutinise the level of integrity practised in the process and examination system currently conducted for every candidate.

"This committee will comprise of experts and professionals in the field, coming from various institutions," said Faisal Rafiq.

He further said, this committee was established as a result of a complaint made by a Master’s candidate in the USM Medical programme, who claimed that there was unfairness in the evaluation system, which led to the candidate failing the examination.

He added that, the University has conducted an internal inquiry on this matter and discovered that the examination system all the while has been conducted in a thorough manner and regulated by strict procedures, with the involvement of external experts, and conducted not by a sole lecturer.

“Following the announcement of examination results, candidates will be notified for them to provide feedback regarding which component of the examination that requires revision, if any.

"Nevertheless, in order to uphold integrity and to safeguard the good name of the University, USM has even established an external committee to really ensure that the system and the process both are truly upright, and conducted with integrity and credibility.

"This matter also needs to be looked into, so as to convince all parties that the university always upholds the examination process and system and ensures that they deliver the level of expertise and professionalism demanded of the said field," emphasised the Vice-Chancellor.

The inquiry committee will then provide a report and feedback to the university at the earliest.

Translation: Mazlan Hanafi Basharudin