Electronic tools and gadgets on sale to help examination cheats
Accomplices employing social media to sell their goods
KUWAIT CITY, May 10: While secondary-level students are preparing for their final examinations which will start on May 14, several electronic tools and gadgets are emerging on social media for sale to help students cheat during the exams.
The promoters of these tools are exploiting the approach of examinations to double their prices, thereby transforming the phenomenon of cheating during exams from a negative trend into a thriving business that worsens the problems prevalent in the educational sector.
The cheating electronic tools that are on sale include advanced nano headphones, magnetic headphones, advanced bank cards, electronic pens, amazing box with mini nano headphones in addition to electronic apps on mobile phones, electronic reading glasses and watches to store and access information.
Of course, the traditional cheating methods are still in force such as writing on clothes, hands and legs in addition to sharing answers with other students during the examinations.
With strict monitoring in place and use of jamming devices in examination rooms, the use of cheating electronic tools has increased. They cost between KD 10 to KD 20 during normal school days, and between KD 35 and KD 40 few days before the first examination.
According to sources, some promoters exploit the examination periods
and weak students to gain a lot of money by urging them to join the “cheating groups” at a cost of KD 20 per student. These students are shown the examination material ten minutes after they join the group. In some cases, the students are given free subscription in order to attract a large number of followers.
When asked about Ministry of Education’s preparedness for the upcoming final examinations and its fight against the phenomenon of cheating, Assistant Undersecretary for Private and Qualitative Education at Ministry of Education Dr Abdulmohsen Al-Huwaila affirmed that all schools are ready to receive the
students.
He said the Private Education Sector applies the cheating regulations that are approved by the ministry, indicating that the number of cheating cases is not much, as the students finish their syllabus on time and have enough time to prepare for the exams.
Dr Al-Huwaila stressed the keenness of the guardians of the students to prevent the latter from getting involved in such kind of acts.
On his part, Director of Educational Affairs at Ahmadi Educational Zone Adel Al-Rashed affirmed that everything has been set up for the examinations, revealing that the ministry had sent clear instructions
to ban the use of electronic tools during examinations and ensure the use of jamming devices.
He explained that mobile phones, whether switched on or off, will not be entertained in the examination halls. Any student caught up
with mobile, even if it is switched off, will be considered as cheating, will be excluded from the examination and grading, and a cheating report will be recorded against him or her. The student caught cheating will then have to take the resit exams.