EVERYWHERE SHOCKING DISHONESTY: Leaked exam papers 'going on for years' - educationists

PETALING JAYA - Cases of examination papers being leaked was nothing new and have been going on for years.

Parent Action Group for Education (PAGE) chairman Datin Noor Azimah Abdul Rahim said such cases had always been swept under the carpet as the standards set by the Malaysian Examinations Syndicate makes it almost impossible for a “leak to be considered a leak”.

“Although it has been going on for years, the (exam) syndicate has been hesitant to admit to it as there are certain criteria which have to be met,” she said.

“I have heard of the authorities only declaring a leak if the front page of the leaked paper were the same as the actual examination set.”

She said this meant it would not be considered a leak if the font size of the question did not match that of the actual examination papers.

“Many get away with it and we have heard of such things going on for years,” she said.

Azimah said it was high time the ministry treat the matter seriously and a special panel must be set up to investigate and find ways to put an end to it.

“Those behind this should be seriously remanded to deter such things from happening.”

Naming tuition centres as parties who could be guilty of such practices, Azimah said as long as there is a demand for leaked examination questions, there would always be a supply.

“Tuition centres want to gain an edge and attract students. Even teachers themselves could be guilty of the offence.”

Azimah said while she felt bad that the pupils have to re-sit the examination at a later date, the case was a classic example of integrity and moral standards being compromised.

“We are giving kids the wrong impression. They are being taught at a young age that they are able to obtain exam questions. If this is not deterred, it will be part of their culture when they grow up,” she said.

Malacca Action Group For Parents in Education (Magpie) chairman Mak Chee Kin believes teachers are involved.

“Teachers part of a panel drafting the examination questions could, for their own interest, leak these questions to their students because they want them to do well. It can also be a situation where teachers are seeking monetary gains,” he said.

Mak said the examinations syndicate and the Education Ministry must conduct a thorough re-evaluation of how questions are stored and who should have access to them.

“The ministry must find out who has access to these papers and how did they manage to leak them to the public as the ministry’s reputation is at stake,” he said.

“We hear of such cases happening often. Even students themselves claim examination questions are the same of that which have been provided by their tuition centres, yet not much is being done to address it.” -Malay Mail