Two exam cheat facilitators jailed

KUWAIT CITY, March 16: In one of the high school exam questions leakage cases, the Court of Appeals has sentenced two citizens -- male and female -- to two years in prison with hard labor for managing an exams cheating group, reports Al-Qabas daily.

The court also sentenced two teachers to six months imprisonment for filming exam questions and involvement in cheating groups. The court pointed out that “these teachers violated the honor of the lofty profession and their being role models for generations, and that they committed a criminal act.”

The court acquitted four defendants and others of laundering money obtained from the students.

Previously, the Criminal Court stated in the merits of its conviction ruling that the defendants created groups via WhatsApp to sell exam questions and made significant profits from selling questions to those looking for an easy way to succeed academically.

The court stressed that the test questions are shrouded in secrecy to measure the real academic level of students, and that the leakage of questions by unscrupulous people is a crime deserving punishment.

The court discussed the investigations and documents proving that one of the defendants transferred KD177,000 to a company account within one day to camouflage his and that of his partners’ activities in relation to selling high school exam questions.

The exchanged messages and conversations via WhatsApp proved that the defendants disdain education, facilitate cheating and sell questions to those seeking imaginary superiority.

The Public Prosecution referred three cases to trial, charging dozens of people with leaking test questions, forgery and money laundering, and there are still other cases pending in the judiciary.

In addition, the Ministry of Education’s strict measures succeeded in reducing exam cheating rates in the first semester of the current academic year.