Egypt says exam violators could get ‘jail terms’

[DJKeefy]

Egypt's education ministry has announced new amendments to a law toughening penalties for cheating and other violations during nationwide school exams, following repeated incidents of online leaking of exam answers over the past year.

The new amendments, which were ratified by President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi last week, are intended to combat all violations during exams and firmly control the examination process across Egyptian schools, according to a statement released by the ministry on Monday.

The new amendments punish with two to seven years in jail and a fine of EGP 100,000 to 200,000 anyone who "prints, publishes, broadcasts or promotes exam questions and answers by any means," the statement read.

The penalties are imposed whether the violation is made before or during the exams with the aim of "cheating and undermining the social order of examinations in or outside exam rooms."

Students who cheat, attempt to cheat or commit any violation stated in the law will be banned from all exams, according to Reda Hegazy, head of the public education sector, as quoted in the statement.

Students were previously punished only by being barred from the exam in which they were cheating or attempting to cheat.

The new sanctions will be imposed only on cases that occurred after El-Sisi's ratification of the law on 15 June, head of the ministry's legal affairs department Alaa Eid told Al-Ahram Arabic.

Last year, several thanaweya amaa exams -- Egypt's standardised high school final exams -- were leaked online, prompting officials to cancel, void or postpone some exams and to investigate possible leaks from within the education ministry.

Several alleged administrators of a number Facebook pages that leaked questions and answers were arrested at the time.

The leaks sparked public anger at the government's perceived inefficiency.

The results of the Thanaweya Amaa exams, taken in the final year of high school, determine students' college destinations and subject choices.

Around 500,000 students sit the tests every year.

Source: http://english.ahram.org.eg/News/271240.aspx

[DJKeefy]

What next? Jail time for breathing? anything is possible in Egypt

[Horus]

I suppose if it becomes widespread and students are downloading complete thesis or exam answers and passing off the work as their own as happened in some other countries, especially with the advent of the internet, then potentially it could see a decline in your educational standards.

[newcastle]

Some would say there's not much scope for a decline in standards

I wonder what were the motives of the "leakers"?

Financial? Sabotage? Can't see how it would benefit the results (and thus reputation)of any particular school if the questions/answers were widely disseminated.

And the only benefit to a student is to give him/her more options for higher education....where their aptitude (or lack thereof) will soon be exposed.

All in all, a bit of overkill methinks....but in tune with the state mentality of excessive sentencing.

[Dusak]

Going of some of the young individuals I've met here, even if they had all the answers in front of them, they would still fail the exam.