Ministry of Interior Takes Strong Action Against Exam Cheating

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KUWAIT CITY, June 11: After an exclusive revelation about monitoring the activities of the “cheating groups”, which were on standby after increasing the “subscription” fees to obtain questions, as well as the answers, for the 12th grade exams that started today on Sunday, the Ministry of Interior managed to arrest another network of three people accused of promoting the leaking of exams, reports Aljarida daily.

In a press statement issued recently, the Ministry of Interior explained that the criminal investigations officers were able to seize the network after following up what it published on social media in terms of advertising and promoting the creation of groups on WhatsApp through which the exam papers are published. The culprits were divided into two groups, each of which receives sums of money from the participating students. Accordingly they were arrested. When confronted with the results of the investigations, they admitted to what was attributed to them. They were referred to the concerned authorities where necessary measures will be taken.

Culprits
According to informed sources, the three culprits – two Bedoun residents and one Saudi national – charge each student KD 50 in exchange for providing them with answers to the exams via WhatsApp. The names of the 250 students were obtained from the group, and will be referred for investigations to reveal the circumstances of the leak, especially since the detectives found bank transfers via links to the culprits. The detectives also obtained details from the culprits about how the exams were leaked. The sources revealed the existence of a secret group that includes teachers, supervisors and mentors in the Ministry of Education, and deals with caution with certain people to facilitate leakage of exam papers, including exam papers for the 12th graders, as well as for the ninth, tenth and eleventh graders.

They explained that the culprits admitted during the investigations that they had “another offer” related to providing students with a hearing device, the price of which ranges between KD 30 and KD 100. Through this device, he is fed with the answers. This constitutes an alternative option for students in the event that their phones are seized or prevented from entering the examination hall. Exam questions are solved by private teachers who photograph them and send them to the “group”. The defendants also admitted that they had worked in “cheating groups” two years ago, but they were the “callers”, adding that they developed their work, became independent, and established their own “group”.

Affirmed
Meanwhile, educational sources affirmed that instructions were issued by the Minister of Education and Higher Education Dr. Hamad Al-Adwani to raise the level of coordination with the Ministry of Interior regarding “cheating groups”, especially since these groups have begun to adopt precautionary measures to avoid being caught. They are now setting the seating of the students who wish to be part of these groups due to their fear of the presence of “ambushes” whereby security forces impersonate students to apprehend the culprits.

These groups had information from the Ministry of Education about the students’ names and their seating numbers, and resorted to cooperating with teachers, whose services were terminated and left the country, to solve the questions and send answers to the participating students. The Ministry of Education expressed appreciation for the efforts of the Ministry of Interior, which resulted in seizing the network that promoted and facilitated the leaking of high school exam papers. It affirmed that this new blow to the leakage and cheating gangs is the result of cooperation between the two ministries to eliminate the negative phenomena that accompany the exams.

On Friday, the official spokesman of the Ministry of Education Ahmed Al-Wahida stated that seizing the network confirms the seriousness of the various state agencies and their cooperation to eradicate the phenomenon, and access to fair tests that give every student his right to achieve its objectives, in coordination and cooperation with the Ministry of Interior and relevant state institutions. Al-Wahida affirmed that the Ministry of Education will spare no effort to prevent any matter that may affect the conduct of the exams and their proper organization.

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