Despite increased vigilance by police, city officials and the Ministry of Education, several students Tuesday claimed they were able to bribe proctors and cheat on their 12th grade exams this week.
One student, who took his exam in Preah Sisowath High School, said students paid the proctor $0.50 each for the answers to each subject. This amounts to $5 per student, since there are exams on 10 different subjects.
Another student, who took the exam at Chaktomuk Junior High School, said he paid the proctor $0.75 for answers to each subject. He brought the answer sheet into the school in his pocket, going unnoticed during a search at the school’s entrance.
Kong Sarann, municipal police deputy chief of security, said Tuesday that police were being especially strict, looking to head off potential cheaters and those who want to help students cheat. In past years, rocks with the answers taped on them have been thrown through classroom windows to exam-takers.
Proctors and teachers have been accused of wholesale corruption, and parents allegedly have offered teachers money or favors in exchange for high scores for their children. Kong Sarann said Tuesday have been no arrests related to cheating on exams
Oum Hoeung, director of the municipality’s Education Department, said Tuesday there were no incidents of anyone throwing answer sheets into any of the 13 schools where the exams were being administered. He said he had no information about students paying proctors. But he added that since there are so many answer sheets available, it is impossible to seize all of them.
Kompong Cham provincial Governor Cheang Am said Tuesday that nobody has been throwing answer sheets into schools. The police are not allowing anyone to stand by the school gates, he said.
“If we arrest the people who are throwing the answer sheet, we will ask them to make a contract not to throw again,” Cheang Am said.
