Smooth Sailing as Exams Start

KHMER TIMES
PECH SOTHEARY

Students line up to take their places in the exam rooms yesterday. KT/Mai Vireak

The first day of the high school national exam was conducted smoothly and orderly, it was reported yesterday, but many students and observers had health problems and nearly 1,300 candidates were absent.

According to the official Facebook page of the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport, the first day of the national exam went smoothly despite rain in the afternoon. Students were also reported to have obeyed exam rules.

The ministry said there were nine cases in which students had health issues including dizziness, fainting and vomiting, but all could continue the exam after treatment except for one student in Kampong Thom province. A total of 1,282 did not show up for the exam, including 519 female students.

The ministry said: “The overall view of the exam process is better than previous years.”

Kheang Seng, vice-president of the Anti-Corruption Unit (ACU), said the unit put more than 6,300 observers in exam centers across the country with participation from civil society organizations and private individuals.

He said that in the morning before the exam yesterday, a woman and her children sold cheat sheets near the Bak Touk High School exam center, but they were stopped and instructed by authorities to stop and were warned of legal action if they continued.

According to reports from exam centers across the country which were shared on the ACU’s Facebook page, some candidates attempted to bring cheat sheets, other documents, smart watches and mobile phones into the exam center, but were caught by exam proctors.

Two candidates taking the exam at the Hun Sen Khang Cherng High School exam center in Kep province copied from a document during the exam and candidates at the Bun Rany Prek Samrong Primary School exam center in Kandal province used smartphones during the exam but were stopped and reports were made by exam proctors.

After handing out exams at Preah Sisowath High School yesterday morning, Education Minister Hang Chuon Naron said that in the third year of education sector reform, many positive changes had occurred as candidates had more self-confidence and were more prepared to take the exam without cheating as in previous years.

He added that the ministry’s strict exam rules were not made to harm candidates, but rather to strengthen their ability.

“We do it to respect principles of the law, to be transparent. These measures have an aim, not to punish the students, but to help them, help students have a higher capacity to compete with youth in the region and be able to find jobs.”

The minister also warned of legal action and punishment for education officials and candidates who exchanged and provided answers or let students copy from documents or copy from each other during the exam.

Candidates copying from documents will automatically fail, candidates who take the exam for another candidate will be punished by the law and candidates who conspire in these offenses will automatically fail and be disqualified from taking the exam for two years.

Hun Many, the president of the Union of Youth Federations of Cambodia and the prime minister’s son, observed the exam and said the exam situation this year has improved from previous years as students have changed their behavior by trying to study and prepare themselves for the exam.

Kheng Sovannarith, a candidate taking the exam at Chea Sim Boeung Keng Kang High School in Phnom Penh, said the exam was being strictly monitored by both proctors and observers to help prevent cheating and to ensure no bribery as well.

“These actions are justice for those who strive to learn and those who don’t study hard will fail. It means that those who study hard will pass as we have already prepared ourselves since the beginning,” he said.

Chur Cheourhea, a candidate taking the exam at Preah Yukunthor High School, spoke confidently after the first day of exams.

“The exam ran smoothly, the exam was made according to students’ ability as the exam centers were strictly monitored by ACU observers and the exam rooms are not messy like every year. I have a very high confidence about 70 to 80 percent,” he said.

The national exam will continue today across 157 exam centers and 3,781 rooms in the country with 93,752 candidates including 45,237 female students. The ministry will announce the results on September 13 for the centers in Phnom Penh and Kandal provinces and the following day for the other provinces.