KUWAIT (KUNA): While the Ministry of Education stresses it is committed to countering such behavior as cheating in exams, through various means, parents and some others in the field believe the recent decision to ban students from sitting for exams for attempting to cheat is too severe a punishment. Public Relations and Educational Media Director at the Ministry of Education Muhsin Abu Rgaiba told Kuwait News Agency (KUNA) the ministry would not relax in countering cheating.
Social counselor at a ministry school Samah Al-Madhoon, meanwhile, said it would have been better if students were denied the one exam in which they attempted to cheat. Ban from all the exams will be a punishment for the society and have too severe a psychological impact. It could bring a violent reaction from the students,” she said. Abu Rgaiba again stressed the ministry does not take such decisions lightly or rashly, but entrusts the responsibility of such decisions to qualified and trustworthy educators who judge all such issues on a case to case basis. “Bans from exam is a decision taken after several unheeded warnings,” he pointed out.

As for the causes behind students resorting to such methods to enhance performance at exams, Al-Madhoon said they include fear, slack regarding punishment, and insufficient family and social guidance to teach youngsters this is not a method to be sought.
Another educator, Arab Open University Professor Tareq Al-Bikri, noted the fact that more families are relying on private tutoring, with prices as high as KD 50 per hour, and this puts great pressure on the students who feel they must pass at all costs after incurring their families such burden.
Abu Rgaiba again said the ministry is aware of all these factors and instructs those supervising exams to do their best to create an atmosphere that helps students relax and do their best and cooperate with parents and educators to enhance the performance of students through many means, in the course of the school year and just before the exams.