By Bai Kandeh Turay
The College of Medicine and Allied Health Sciences (COMAHS) of the University of Sierra Leone (USL) has cancelled its recent pre-admission examination, affecting over 800 candidates, following allegations of academic malpractice.
On 10th March 2026, Professor James B. W. Russell, Deputy Vice Chancellor of COMAHS, convened an emergency meeting with college leadership, including deans, exam supervisors, and programme coordinators, to address the situation.
He stressed that the University maintains a zero-tolerance policy for academic misconduct and called on all staff to uphold the institution’s core values of integrity, discipline, accountability, and respect.
Professor Russell expressed concern about the declining standards in the Faculty of Nursing and Midwifery and highlighted the need for comprehensive reforms across the college.
Senior academics at the meeting also noted that the malpractice may be systemic and recommended stronger quality assurance measures to prevent recurrence.
Decisions taken at the meeting include the cancellation of the pre-admission exam, the immediate formation of an investigation committee, and the requirement for the examination officer and supervisors to submit full reports by the end of the week.
The college also announced that conference marking will be adopted for this exam cycle, and neutral examiners will be used for all future examinations.
Professor Russell concluded by emphasizing that all individuals implicated in the malpractice must be thoroughly and impartially investigated to preserve academic integrity at COMAHS.
