The Ministry of Education has announced that it will increase efforts to guard against cheating during this year’s final exams for high school students to be held Aug 6 to 8, according to a ministry statement received Thursday.
According to the statement, every year there are irregularities during exams despite the education ministry’s best efforts, but this year authorities will take serious measure against anyone who tries to sell test answers prior to the examination.
“Any candidate who acts as a ringleader to collect money from other students or gives money to proctors will automatically fail and will be delayed from taking the exam for one year,” the statement. says
“Any candidate who brings along books or documents to the exam centers without giving them to the proctors will not be allowed to sit for the exams and will be noted as a failure,” the statement continues.
A total of 58,983 students will sit in for the three-day exams at 115 centers around the country, and the results should be released Aug 31.
The ministry will also cooperate with the police in order to secure exam centers, said Chey Chab, Education Ministry undersecretary of state.
Sok Phal, deputy national police commissioner, said his officers will serve as “watchdogs and enforcement,” to prevent any disturbances to the exams. “We will protect outside the exam centers, preventing people from throwing answer sheets to candidates through windows,” he said, adding that all the streets around the exam centers will be closed.
Police will also be on the look out for people making photocopies of answer sheets at copy shops near exam centers.
“We will ask shop owners to close their shops if any irregularities happen,” Sok Phal added.
Leng Bun Hong, an official with the Cambodia Independent Teachers’ Association, accused the ministry of always making the same promises at exam time.
“Every year,” said Leng Bun Hong, “but it is not effective because there is still cheating, copying answer sheets and collecting money for proctors.”
