Students swear to be academically fair
Over the course of last week, Vytautas Magnus University Student Representative’s Council (VMU SRC) organised an initiative titled “I promise myself not to cheat!’’ and invited students to sign a declaration dedicated to academic honesty. The document made its’ way through all of the faculties and was signed by more than 200 students.
The main goal of this initiative was to pay attention to the fact that academic dishonesty violates the regulations of the higher education institution, fair competition. Furthermore, it negatively impacts the quality of study programs. Everyone who signed the declaration swore to to be responsible and aware of their duties as students and fulfil them as well.
“I believe that this document is important because it encourages us to learn more carefully and responsibly,” claims Žygimantas Foktas, a first-year who participated in the initiative. “Also, the student who signs this is determined to develope and seek education without fooling themselves.”
According to Kristina Balčiūnaitė, the VMU SC coordinator of academic affairs committee and organiser of the initiative, it’s very important to pay attention to be problem of cheating in the academic environment. A study conducted by Lithuanian Students Association in 2017 showed that only about a quarter of the students believe public settlements are conducted fairly: “Even though everyone who signed the declaration claimed that academic honesty is an obvious thing to understand, we want to change the way we perceive cheating completely and we want every student to understand the negative impact of it,” she added.
The signing of the declaration of academic honesty is organised for a second time now and it gained even more interest from the students. Another project by VMU SC, “Apšvietimas” will be organised in November. It encourages students to be more aware of the changes in the field of education and cherish the positives of higher education. During the event, students will participate in interactive lectures and will be able to take a test involving their academic knowledge.