Cheating in exams is may be the only common phenomenon all over the world irrespective of the levels of development. Each year, the educational experts right before the academic examinations would come out with stringent measures to control cheating menace. While in India, we have been introduced with many such regulations, Algeria on the other hand taken a rather unthinkable step to prevent copying during high school exams. To tackle cheating, they turned off its internet service nationwide. With the beginning of two school test on June 20, mobile and fixed internet connections were shut across the country for two hours.

The Education Minister, Nouria Benghabrit informed that any devices with internet access were barred to enter at more than 2,000 exam centres and Metal detectors were set at the entrance in Algeria. Speaking about the internet blackout, the public operator Algeria Telecom had said, “in compliance with instructions from the government, aimed at ensuring the high school diploma tests run smoothly.” It is reported that the reason behind such move is extensive cheating cases in 2016 with question papers leaked online before and during the tests.

Last year, the educational authorities asked the internet service providers to stop the access to social media, but such measures were not enough. Late entries to the exam hall were not entertained and instead students had to sit for a specially organised test. Above 700,000 students will write the high school exams this year and the internet will remain shut until Monday to curb cheating among them.  CCTV cameras have also been installed at the exam printing presses. The exam results are expected to be announced from July 22.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jun 21, 2018 03:28 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).