Related videos:
The No. 1 faculty of the University of Medical Sciences in Santiago de Cuba is facing intense controversy following a public complaint by communicator Yosmany Mayeta Labrada, who reported a supposed case of widespread academic fraud involving second-year students.
According to the communicator, the students who took the course "Blood and Immune System" were accused of plagiarism in their final project, which has caused outrage, internal protests, and a widespread atmosphere of tension within the institution.
According to the testimonies shared by the communicator, the students assert that the work was completed following the professors' instructions and that the accusation is unjustified.
The course does not have a final exam, so the grade depends entirely on that bibliographic report.
The students also claim that they did not receive adequate guidance during the three weeks when the faculty suspended classes due to Hurricane Melissa and the epidemic affecting the province.
Despite this, they were required to submit a work with multiple technical and methodological requirements, without access to the internet to consult updated bibliographies.
Mayeta pointed out that the conflict escalated after teachers reported that all assignments would be marked as plagiarism without providing concrete evidence, which led to confusion among the students, who were fearful of failing the course or facing disciplinary sanctions.
The gravity of the situation may have prompted the call for an extraordinary meeting involving the dean, academic directors, disciplinary representatives, parents, and authorities from the Ministry of Higher Education.
In his post, the communicator describes a climate of "hostility and uncertainty" within the faculty, and cites testimonies from students demanding a fair, technical, and transparent review to avoid collective sanctions.
Filed under: