How exam cheating can be reduced in Kenya

  

Date Posted: 11/6/2013 7:53:14 AM

Posted By: wishstar  Membership Level: Gold  Total Points: 7507

---

Cheating in examinations has become a common occurrence. From primary schools way up to the higher learning institutions. Despite students being encouraged to avoid such a practice as it isn't beneficial to them, they still do not heed the call. It is a shame to know that our institutions of higher learning are at the forefront of this cheating in exam menace.

People who reportedly never cheated in their primary and secondary education find themselves finally getting into this heinous act. Not that it is their fault but because the environment fosters it, to some extent, other factors kept constant.

Despite students getting caught, some still view themselves as experts and that they can't get caught. Cheating in exams has a negative impact on the social, economic and even religion in the society. Talking in economic terms, development and productivity is lowered. This is because the students, despite succeeding in their examinations, cannot apply or even remember what they learnt back at school.

On the religious aspect, students do commit a sin when they involve themselves in the act of cheating in examinations. They lie to themselves as well as to God.

Socially, they lower their trust of other people in the society hence reduce their credibility and trust.
This cheating menace can be reduced if proper policies are put up.
Among the things that can be done to reduce cheating are:
- Student identification Each student should be asked to carry with them proper identification. This is because cheating can be in form of impersonation
- Installation of CCTV cameras in examination rooms. Installing such high tech equipment may be costly but in the long run will do a better job in reducing and even eventually eliminating the cases if cheating. It has already been

done in some institutions, partially though, but all in all, it can be done.
- Lectures/teachers should take some time on explaining what cheating is. If this kind of explanation is done, students will get to know that their teachers do care about the integrity of the examinations and the results that come thereafter. Furthermore, it will eliminate the ambiguity on what is considered cheating.
- Not setting predictable questions. Examiners should do their best in ensuring they set questions which cannot be easily predicted. The increasing probability to which students can predict questions has resulted to them thoroughly revising only for questions and even carrying the so called "mwaks".
- Strict punishment to offenders. Punishment among offenders should be in such a way to make students fear cheating in exams, for a lack of a better explanation. The consequences should be clearly stated so that students make the right decision.
- Strictness in invigilation. The current situation seen in our institutions is that some invigilators don't take their jobs seriously. They "sleep" on their job. This should not be the case however and the job should be taken seriously to combat the act of cheating.
- Report all cheating incidents. Students fear that if they report their colleagues who are cheating, they may be viewed as betrayers or so. Let it be but we should know that such a person is concerned about the well being of both the offender and the institution at large. We should not keep quiet and let such behaviors continue but speak out and improve on the education of our institutions.

---

Next: Result Vs Quality in our Schools
Previous: Embracing Digital Libraries in Kenya