AT least two provinces, the KP and Sindh, announced reconducting MDCAT due to massive irregularities in the previous national medical entrance exam conducted by PMDC. Scores of aspiring doctors landed behind bars for using Bluetooth devices during the exam. Declaring the previous test null and void leaves aspirants in another conundrum. High achievers fear risking their scores, while poor scorers consolidate apprehensions about an uneven playing field. Resorting to unfair means in a medical entrance exam is just the tip of the iceberg. Cheating in academic examinations has become a new norm. Those who abstain are considered either monks or deliberate losers. Manipulators tilt the scales favourably, gobbling up desired careers and slots. Unlike in other countries, cheating here is no longer a crime but a choice made by moral relativists.
“When in Rome, do as Romans do,” they say. I was befuddled to see my friend’s brother registered as a candidate for an educational board around 800 kilometres away from his hometown. The student in question was presumably a hardworking gentleman looking to pursue a career in medicine. Upon inquiry, his brother slyly confided that he had decided not to waste his energies earning top marks in intermediate if the same could be purchased for peanuts. He intended to channel all his energies into preparing for the MDCAT.
This scenario paints a troubling picture of the ethical standards set for and by our future leaders. This academic dishonesty resonates not only in professional but also social dealings, wreaking havoc. Why do we allow our students to cheat, becoming seedbeds for seedy citizens? Why do we not intervene with starters who later blemish our social fabric for good? Academic cheating has transformed from an individual act to a social construct. Understanding this construct requires deconstructing its multi-faceted nuances.
The root layer of this construct stems from a collapsed governing structure. Educational boards, public service commissions, institutes and testing agencies adhere to age-old testing methodologies, leaving room for shadowy characters to exploit. Insufficient safeguards against evolving malpractices allow corrupt individuals and opportunities to deprive the rightful. Misplaced evaluations disrupt post-education talent hunts, inadvertently providing a comparative edge to high academic achievers.
Furthermore, the rot permeates the second layer. Pragmatic utilitarianism nudges parents to believe that the ends justify the means. They mistakenly link high grades to promising careers, succumbing to performance anxiety. In the dog-eat-dog society, moral considerations take a back seat as they try to secure a better future for their children. The fear of losing in the rat race dominates the majority. Those opting for costly international education over local institutions often face discriminatory marks conversions and seat allocations, leading to a lose-lose situation.
The third layer affects students in two ways. Firstly, they’re wary of a superstructure that rewards cunningness over honesty, pushing even talented students towards the cheating culture for safety. Secondly, incompetent or lazy students use excuses to conceal their inability to meet the demands of scholarship. Regardless of the circumstances, the result is the failure of sifting grains from the chaff. This top-down failure leads to a poor educational product. Our educational machinery churns out myopic students with inadequate skill sets, amounting to criminal negligence. To unravel this mess, every aspect of the system needs realignment.
The state needs to ensure a robust evaluation system. Educational institutions must communicate the repercussions of cheating explicitly. Modern-day approaches should focus on understanding and mastery rather than rote learning. Parents and students need awareness about the disparity between actual learning and achieved grades. Good grades do not guarantee a secure career; it’s a blend of competence, soft skills, hard skills and ethics that lead to promising positions. Only then can students perform in line with their potential.
Cheating is a systemic response to the framework established by the state, educational institutes, testing bodies, parents and society. However, when this practice infiltrates the professional realm, it erodes the ethical foundations of our society. Let’s address and resolve this issue within the confines of educational institutes.
—The writer is a security professional and contributing columnist.
Email: [email protected]
views expressed are writer’s own.
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