Chapter Six
Ummi takes a sip of his Zobo and continues the narratives. She sees Teemah paying total attention to the story. Ummi faces her directly and explains to her that Moral Philosophy is one of the easiest subjects and a general studies course.
It is the last paper for Salma and her mates and they find it easy because of the course content. It covers the teachings of the parents and the sermons of their Imams and Pastors.
Meanwhile, Salma finds this course very difficult. She never attends the class like most students do. They believe they could easily pass the course without attending the class. Salma also bears her mind on the revision of the past questions because the lecturer has been repeating the same question for the past three years.
The students resolve to attend a series of tutorials where the past questions are treated. They prepare for this to the extent that they could provide answers to nearly all of past questions offhand.
Salma is so gorgeously dressed on the day of the examination that her roommates even ask questions. She tells them that her course mates plan to take final class pictures with most of the lecturers after the paper.
Salma and her classmates are searched into the exam hall thirty minutes to the exam according to the law. Salma gets the surprise of her life when the questions are distributed and she discovers that none of the topics revised comes out.
She is further surprised when she looks around and sees that her course mates are busy writing on the answer sheets. Those must have read beyond the topics revised.
Kolawole Abdul is known to be the brightest. He is the one sitting next to Salma who could not write anything and he has written many pages. Salma is just looking around from her paper to the invigilator, Dr. Amina who is a female and to Kolawole Abdul.
Salma catches the attention of the lecturer invigilating because she is the only one not writing. Her appearance does not even give the lecturer any attention, instead she feels intimidated and creates hatred towards her but keeps it to herself.
When Salma discovers that time is going, she uses students’ magic on Kola; a trick used by students to speak to another person without moving their lips. The person being spoken to would understand immediately.
Kọla is not only brilliant, but also cautious; he does not want anything that would jeopardize his career hence, he doesn’t like how Salma keeps on disturbing him. When he realises that the invigilator is not paying attention, he secretly writes some points on the first two questions and slips it into Salma’s hands.
It is this moment the invigilator has cause to go out briefly and Salma uses the opportunity to open the paper Kola gave her. She continues writing and is so engrossed in it that she doesn’t know when the lecturer invigilating comes back.
The female invigilator is surprised that Salma, who has not written anything since the last thirty minutes, is suddenly busy writing. She walks quietly and stands behind her for about two minutes and Salma does not notice that someone is standing by her as she is too much engrossed in copying the notes.
The teacher touches Kola silently and he nearly dies, she then touches Salma who shouts, “What is it? What have I done? Did you see me with anything?
The cheat note being copied is still in her hand. The teacher invigilating then calls the security man to bring the Exam malpractice form code named” EMAL form. “Teemah interrupts here to give the full meaning of EMAL form.
The cheat note is retrieved from Salma and she is asked to fill the EMAL form and Kola to sign as witness. Kola heaves a sign of relieve as the teacher did not see him giving the note to Salma.
Refusal to sign the EMAL form after being caught for exam malpractice is another offence. Salma tries to prove her innocence and refuses to sign the form. She is persuaded by the security man to sign. The latter convinces her that nobody would stop her from continuing writing her exam and he is sure that the matter would be resolved at the office of the Head of Department.
After Salma signs the form, everything remains calm to the end of the exam. A female student sitting on the other side of Salma also signs the second witness form. They are assured by the Lecturer that the matter might not go beyond the HOD’s office if Salma is lucky.
Salma follows the teacher to the HOD’S office after the exam. Salma, in his four years on the campus has never had any personal interaction with the teaching staff or the HOD, but the students commend him for being good and compassionate.
Salma makes sure she doesn’t have a relationship with any of her teachers, but she is friendly with some academic staff in the other faculties. Based on the comments of the students about the HOD, she is sure that she would find compassion in his eyes.
Salma also thinks otherwise, if it goes the other way round; she then starts shedding tears before getting judgements. She knows the enormity of what she has done. Others are also doing it, but why should she be the unlucky one in the last semester of final year and the last paper for that matter. She prays to God to let problems be resolved amicably.
The invigilator urges her not to worry, that the HOD is a good and compassionate person that loves the progress of the students. She said salma’s case is not the first she would take to him; he would just advise the students and warn them not to be involved in such a situation again. The matter would just end there.
Salma then tells the invigilator that she shouldn’t have allowed the matter to go beyond the exam hall; just seize the paper and the matter dies there. The woman responds that she would have lost her job.
The job she has put in many years before reaching the level she is. She said, even if she ignored her, the security man would have noticed and would have reported. She appeals to Salma to allow the matter to take the normal course, and that she has nothing to worry about.
Salma prays as they walk toward the HOD’s office. She knows she is not holy but has faith. She also understands that she is the first offender in this case and first offenders, even in the court of law, are friendly treated.
She begs God to give her another chance, that she would not be involved in such again. She confesses that she has not been a good girl before and begs for God’s mercy and forgiveness. She prays for mercy from the invigilator, though she knows women don’t like her, especially her lecturers.
She believes they envy her because of her beauty. She prays to God not to allow them to kill her. She promises to mend her ways and re-establish her relationship with God. She begs for forgiveness as human beings are fallible. She prays silently until they get to the HOD’s office.
The last time Salma visited the HOD office was when she had issues with her add and drop forms two years ago. It was even the secretary that attended to them then. Even a new HOD assumed office six months before the exam. She prays to have the compassion of the new HOD.
At the office, the secretary goes in to inform the HOD of their arrival. The secretary comes back and tells the invigilator to go in. She goes in, instructing Salma and the witnesses to wait.
After the complimentary greetings, Dr. Amina reports to the HOD that they have an exam malpractice case involving a final year female student. The HOD comments that it is rare for female students to cheat and says it is bad.
The HOD confirms that the forms are signed by the offender and the witnesses from Dr. Amina. He then asked them to be allowed in. The lecturer opens the door and calls them in.
The HOD then tells the invigilating lecturer Dr. Amina to prepare the documents for the Exams and Ethics Committee for further processing. He declares that Dr. Amina knows the matter is beyond him. Dr. Amina takes the order and goes out.
At this juncture, Omar comments that the story reads like a fiction, and if not her mother narrating it, he wouldn’t have believed it to be real. The mother just smiled. Omar asks her mother about the judgment on Salma.
Eventually, Salma unfortunately implicated Kolawole Abdul when she was summoned by the committee and the two of them were expelled.
Omar laments how wicked Salma is for implicating Kola. Her mother then explains that it is the rule; the best thing is not to break it to avoid the wrath of law.