ILOILO CITY – The West Visayas State University (WVSU) has ordered a retake of the College Admission Test on March 10 following the public uproar over the alleged leakage of questions.
The WVSU administration and its Board of Regents announced on Friday, March 15, that it invalidated the results of 20,925 examinees who took the exam.
THE West Visayas State University (WVSU) main campus in Iloilo City. (WVSU Facebook page)
“There is reason to believe that the integrity of the examination has been compromised,” WVSU President Dr. Joselito Villaruz said in his official Facebook page.
“Rest assured that the University stands by the principles of equity and fairness in handling its affairs. Conducting another examination will eliminate undue advantage for specific individuals who may have benefitted from the leaked examination items.”
The public has urged the WVSU to conduct a retake of the exam since the controversy erupted on Wednesday, March 13.
“We assure the public that the ongoing investigation will continue to proceed to identify accountable individuals for this breach. We empathize with the student examinees and their families for the inconvenience this has created. With that, we express our sincerest apologies,” Villaruz said.
The public stepped up criticisms when university officials issued conflicting and inconsistent statements.
Dr. Hazel Palmares Villa, director for WVSU Public Affairs and Marketing, issued statements on Wednesday that did not directly address the leakage.
On Thursday night, Villa said that preliminary investigation found out that there was indeed a leakage.
On Friday morning, Villaruz refuted Villa’s statement in an interview with Bombo Radyo Iloilo.
On Friday afternoon, Villaruz issued a public advisory claiming the exam was compromised and a retake will be conducted.
The WVSU has not yet to announce when the retake will be held but said it will be held in several “testing centers covering the strategic geographical areas.”
The main campus of WVSU is located here. The WVSU has satellite campuses in four towns in Iloilo province – Calinog, Janiuay, Lambunao, and Pototan – and one in Himamaylan City, Negros Occidental.