Over 70% fail Cambodian national exam

Over 70% fail Cambodian national exam

Bangkok Post | 30 Aug 2014

In 2012 and 2013, more than 80 percent of the Grade 12 high school students taking the national exam passed it. In 2014, 70 percent failed. The difference? This year cheating was not tolerated. 

Proctors frisk students during the annual national high school graduation exam in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, preventing them from bringing cheating materials. Photo from @angkor.co

Today's Phnom Penh Post provides some additional information, including the news that those who failed will get a second chance to pass:

"More than 93,000 candidates sat the exams on August 4 and 5, but only 11 received the top A grade. Two hundred and nineteen students received B’s, 907 received C’s, 1,823 received D’s and 20,157, received the lowest passing grade, an E."

But for those who failed, there is still hope. "Failing students will have another chance on October 13 and 14. On August 11, Hun Sen announced there would be a re-test under the same conditions."

More than 70% fail Cambodian national exam

In 2012 and 2013, more than 80 percent of the Grade 12 high school students who took the Cambodian national examation, passed it. This year, 70 percent failed.

The education ministry said that of the 89,937 students who took exam on Aug 4, only 23,126 of them, or 25.72 percent passed.

The difference, according to education ministry spokesman Ros Saline, was simple. This year, the ministry introduced strict measures at testing centres to prevent cheating.

Previously, cheating had been the norm in Cambodia, with students bribing exam supervisors to take answer sheets into the classroom or using their mobile phones to cheat under the noses of bribed proctors.

A letter writer to the Phnom Penh Post who observed the testing process at one examination centre had this to say about the new procedures.

"While bribery and cheating were rampant in the past decade, this time, students were allowed to bring just three items into testing rooms: a pen, a pencil and a ruler. However, there were still some irregularities, including attempts to bribe proctors and students looking at each other’s papers during the test.

"There were also some reports of observers being taunted, threatened or physically attacked by students for catching them cheating. However, these irregularities were minimal."

Story contains information from the Kyodo News Service and the Phnom Penh Post.