Kenyans help American varsity students cheat
NAIROBI. – American students are paying for work written by a Kenyan writer in a process known as “contract cheating.”
On Monday, a news story aired by American broadcaster, CBS revealed how Kenyans are aiding American university students to cheat. According to the exposé the students use websites like “Essay JedII” to connect with writers in Kenya who they hire to do their schoolwork, from one-off essays to completing entire college degrees.
The story revealed the writers charge between sh2 000 ( US$ 18) and sh5 000 (US$48) for a page of work in a process referred to as “contract cheating”.
The writers typically take a 75 percent cut of the profits and then subcontract some of the work out to other writers, who can earn as little as sh500 (US$4) a page.
The reporter, Debora Patta said the idea for the investigative piece was prompted by numerous complaints by the American authorities and scholars who emphasised the practice amounts to academic cheating.
“Contract cheating is a big risk to American society as more graduates were being regarded as professionals even when they lacked the skills and knowledge required.”
One interviewee confessed that he had been doing exams and other academic work for several years on behalf of an American student. He said the student paid to do his undergraduate degree as well as his master’s degree.
“I did his degree and right now I’m doing his master’s degree... he has also promised me that I am going to do his PhD,” he revealed.
Apparently writers are so good to a point, American students sometimes express concern that the performance is too good.
“There is one that I did and the student got 97 percent, and the teacher told the student that the performance did not look like his based on past results of the student.
The student told me to lower my performance on the papers so that it looks fair and plausible that I did it,” the interviewee added.
Kenyans on Twitter on the other hand were disappointed at the fact that the whistleblowers chose to expose a business that has helped a lot of unemployed youth earn a living. – Pulselive