Rooting out malpractice in exams [Archives:2005/830/Education]
By Hasan Ba-Udan
Hadhramut University, Hadhramout
Cheating in all its forms has been strictly forbidden by our prophet (PBUH).Yet it is a pity that cheating in the exam seems to be legitimized in the opinion of many students and teachers. In order to justify this practice; they provide arguments as feeble as the web of a spider. Some of them hold the view that peeping at one's answer paper is not a crime. Nothing can be farther from truth than this.In fact,some answers can be copied by a single swift glance, especially, in yes-no questions. As a result, an unintelligent student might get high marks through such swift glances.
Secondly, the view that cheating in exams is wide spread,not only in their schools, but in many other schools is a silly justification! We must imitate others good morals not their immoral practices. Teachers must do their best in fighting this endemic phenomenon. On the part of students, they must work hard from the beginning of the session so that there is no painful necessity to resort to cheating as the only means to pass the exam. Moreover, some teachers' leniency in invigilation encourages students to cheat. The parents and teachers are considered the most effective role models for children. They must be aware of the far reaching ill-consequences of this act of deception on the child's blossoming personality and the evolving pattern of behavior. The child is most likely to consider cheating normal or perfectly legitimate in later life, unless the evil practice is nipped in the bud in his childhood. This act may as well be reflected in his treatment with others .
Cheating now is not only rampant in high schools but in colleges as well. A cheating graduate will perpetrate more harm to his society rather than benefit it. Undoubtedly, the to- day's cheat will be a burden on his society as he will not be professionally equipped for the position to which he is nominated. The current prevalence of corruption in private and government organizations may be due to the unchecked illegal practice in schools in the past. The young deceiver of today will be the matured criminal of tomorrow. That is because it is very hard for someone accustomed to a certain habit to abandon it. It is high time for us all to seriously ponder about the country's future. No country can ever improve by unqualified , pseudo teachers, doctors, engineers, architects etc.
There can be no second opinion about the fact that cheating is most certainly a destructive factor for the progress and prosperity of the society. The dismal consequence of this heinous practice is borne out by the fact that now we have a large number of school graduates who are of low calibre and substance.
The main reason behind the deterioration of quality in the educational field is students' dependence on cheating which drives them to neglect preparing for exams.
There must be an urgent solution for this corrupt practice. A cooperative effort between school and family will positively help eradicate it. The school should not be lenient with those cheats and impose a strict code of punishment against them. A student will not cheat when he knows that he will be fired from school. In addition to that, the school administration must be strict against those careless invigilators who let students cheat. On the other hand, the parents must exercise moral influence on their children and make sure that they are studying. If all gates of cheating are locked, the students will depend on themselves to pass the exam.
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