Ministry, ACU continue campaign for clean high school exam
The Education Ministry’s crusade to clean up the national high school exam continued Wednesday, with the Anti-Corruption Unit (ACU) releasing a statement inviting concerned parties to monitor exams in August and warning that cheats would be failed and effectively banned from sitting again for two years. The ACU cited previously unenforced provisions against cheating on the exam from a 2011 ministerial directive and pledged, together with the Education Ministry, to punish any students found to be involved in collecting money for bribes or distributing cheat sheets. “Any contestant who acts as a mastermind in collecting money or advising other contestants to collect money or give money to proctors must be automatically failed and banned for another year,” the ACU statement says. Banned students would be able to again take the exam, which is held once a year, two years after an offense. … The Education Ministry and ACU also called for NGO representatives and concerned individuals to apply as volunteer monitors at exams, where they would have the responsibility of identifying cheats —a role usually played by teachers and school administrators. Ouk Chhayavy, deputy director of the 10,000-strong Cambodian Independent Teachers Association (CITA), said Wednesday that the government’s efforts to bring accountability to high schools amounted to a charade. …
Kuch Naren and Matt Blomberg
http://www.cambodiadaily.com/news/ministry-acu-continue-campaign-for-clean-high-school-exam-55667/
