March 18, 2015: Indians climb the wall of a building to help students appearing in an examination in Hajipur, in the eastern Indian state of Bihar. (AP)
PATNA, India – Around 600 high school students in eastern India have been expelled for cheating on pressure-packed 10th grade examinations this week, education authorities said Friday.
The incident has gotten widespread attention after Indian television footage showed parents and friends of students scaling the outer walls of school buildings to pass cheat sheets to students inside taking exams.
More than 1.4 million 10th graders are sitting for the test at more than 1,200 high schools across the state. They face tremendous pressure because they must pass the exams to continue their education.
Teachers and state education department officials supervising the examination caught hundreds of students who had smuggled in text books or scraps of paper to be used for cheating.
"It's virtually impossible to conduct fair examinations without the cooperation of parents," said P.K. Shahi, Bihar's education minister. He said it was not possible, however, to monitor the 6 million parents and others who accompany the students to the examination centers.
State authorities have posted police at all schools where examinations were being held, "but we can't use force to drive away the parents," he said.
Bihar School Examination Board Secretary Sriniwas Tiwari said students caught cheating could be barred from taking the exam for up to three years, ordered to pay a fine or even sent to jail.
Cheating seems to be particularly widespread in Bihar, although there have been no reports of anyone being sent to jail for the offense.
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