National High School Exam candidates each spent an average of 120,000
riel – about US$30 – on bribes over this year’s two-day testing period to
secure exam answers, according to independent research released yesterday.
Social researcher Kem Ley’s
report Turning a Blind Eye purported that 92 per cent of students were involved
in bribery or cheating during the exam, which is conducted under the
supervision of high- school proctors, teachers and police officials.
“We also see that 55 per cent of
answers were copied from their hand phone after the answer was made and sent
around by email,” Ley said, noting social media site Facebook had emerged as a
popular means to cheat during this year’s exams, which took place on August 6 and
7.
“However, while this is a
self-formed habit to bribe the [exam supervisors], this year there was a bit of
improvement compared to last year,” he said, pointing to more diligent
monitoring of exam rooms by police officials as stemming the amount of exam answer
cheat sheets physically used by students.
The 40-page research findings
from interviews with 157 students will be sent to the Ministry of Education and
government development partners UNESCO and UNICEF next week, Ley told the Post,
in a bid to put pressure on the government to reform the education system.
For Ley, the solution lies in
improving the quality and ethics of teachers and exam invigilators through
appropriate remuneration or up to $150 per day during the exam period.
Rong Chhun, president of the
Cambodian Independent Teacher Association, agreed that exam irregularities
greatly diminished the quality of the education system in Cambodia.
“It isn’t a new thing. Although
it was quieter around exam rooms this year, that is because they are copying
via email and Facebook,” Chhun said.
He added that if the government
did not deal with the quality of education in Cambodia, it could not produce a
competitive labour force for the 2015 ASEAN integration.
Sam Sereyrath, general director
at the Ministry of Education, said the research was a somewhat “small sample”,
so it was incapable of evaluating the whole high-school exam.
“The result would have been much
more positive if he had interviewed more,” he said.
Chhay Channyda
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