Egypt considers jamming cell phones in exam rooms to prevent cheating

Egypt’s education ministry is considering using jamming equipment on cell phones inside examination rooms as an anti-cheating measure, the ministry’s head of Thanaweya Amma, high school, examinations Reda Hegazi told Ahram Arabic news website on Tuesday.

Hegazi said that if approved, the measure would be implemented in coordination with the Armed Forces.

Hegazi says the measure would be an attempt to prevent the recurrence of the 2016 leaks of Thanaweya Amma exams, adding that the test papers will now be printed by the military.

Last year, test questions for several classes were leaked online on a Facebook page titled “Chao Ming Cheats,” with the education ministry mandating that students retake exams, which sparked student protests in several governorates.

The efforts by the ministry to prevent cheating are in line with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi’s statements last year that the leaks would not be repeated.

In 2015, a presidential decree stated that those who leak exams face a year in prison and fines ranging from 20,000 Egyptian pounds to 50,000 pounds.

The results of the Thanaweya Aama exams dictate which colleges, if any, students are eligible to attend.

Nearly 500,000 students sit for the high school examinations in Egypt annually.

This year’s exams are set to start on 4 June.

Source: Ahram online