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| The writer believes that a beautiful camaraderie makes life a wonderful journey. |
The advice of the chief invigilator to all candidates
when I was sitting for my Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia exam a long time ago is
still fresh in my mind. He said: “You may be happy now for cheating without
being caught, but is it going to be worth making a lot of money from the tainted results you achieved in the past?”
Among 455,839 candidates sitting for SPM this year, some
may fail to maintain their integrity in producing results with high validity. Cheating
in public examinations can be as serious as smuggling notes into the exam hall
or as common as glancing at other candidates’ question papers to copy answers.
Those displaying suspicious or eccentric behaviours will be identified as
potential cheaters, who may be charged for violating examination rules.
Students cheat for various reasons. Some
students want to impress their parents, teachers and friends with their outstanding results. Others are desperate for a maximum number
of As to qualify for a place in university. Yet, others study at the
eleventh hour and experience mental block when reading the questions.
Regardless
of their reasons, there is no excuse for cheating. Invigilators need
to keep an eye on candidates for any attempt to break exam rules. A zero-tolerance
policy must be applied on cheaters who are caught red-handed during
the examinations. The action against the culprits should serve as a warning
and a lesson to others. It is also to remind everyone that cheating
is not a trivial matter.
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| The writer and friends during SPM once upon a time... |
This
moral principle should be instilled in students early. When they start college or pursue a career, some unethical friends may offer them shortcuts to score an easy A or to make easy money, and it will cost their
integrity to achieve their goals. When they get used to the habit, they will
start enjoying their “fast-track” life without considering the negative
implications of their actions.
Corruption, which is the result of low integrity, is a
heinous crime that has been in the limelight for too long. This fraudulent conduct
invites chaos in the society and affects a country’s economic growth. Individuals
involved in this conspiracy enjoy their ill-gotten gains while sacrificing
business ethics.
Before teenagers leave school, we need to plant integrity in
their hearts and minds, for they are the ones who will either make or break our country’s future.
Courtesy of New Straits Times
15 November 2014
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