600 Students Expelled for Cheating on School Exams in India
Education
authorities in eastern India say 600 high school students have been
expelled after they were found to have cheated on pressure-packed 10th
grade examinations. (AP Photo/Press Trust of India, File)
PATNA,
India (AP) — About 600 high school students in eastern India have been
expelled for cheating on pressure-packed 10th grade examinations this
week, education authorities said Friday.
The
incident has received widespread attention after Indian television
footage showed parents and friends of students scaling the outer walls
of school buildings to pass cheat sheets to students inside taking
exams.
More than 1.4 million 10th graders are taking the tests at more than
1,200 high schools across the state. They face tremendous pressure
because they must pass the exams to continue their education.
"It’s
virtually impossible to conduct fair examinations without the
cooperation of parents," said P.K. Shahi, Bihar’s education minister. He
said it was not possible to monitor the 6 million parents and others
who accompany the students to the examination centers.
State
authorities posted police at all schools where examinations were being
held, “but we can’t use force to drive away the parents,” he said.
Nearly two dozen parents were detained after they were caught helping their children, but were released after several hours.
On
Friday, the high court in the state capital, Patna, ordered the Bihar
police chief to ensure that examinations are conducted in a fair manner.
State education authorities have canceled examinations held at four centers after they received reports of large-scale cheating.
Bihar
School Examination Board Secretary Sriniwas Tiwari said students caught
cheating could be barred from taking the exam for up to three years,
ordered to pay a fine or even sent to jail.
Cheating
seems to be particularly widespread in Bihar, although there have been
no reports of anyone being sent to jail for the offense.
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