Invigilators get harassed in bid to curb cheating

Harried invigilators are trying to get one step ahead of devious students who are coming up with innovative methods of cheating.

But some are getting brickbats from students in the process, quite literally.

In Ras Al Khaimah, a student who was caught cheating yesterday with his mobile phone during the General Secondary School Certificate examination beat up the invigilator.

The invigilator noticed that the student was whispering about an hour into the scheduled two-hour examination. He asked the student to stop whispering, but to no avail.

The student was then ordered to stand up so he could be searched, but he refused. The invigilator then used a gadget that traces mobile-phone signals. It confirmed that he was wired with a mobile phone.

Despite the proof, the student refused to hand over his phone, and the invigilator forcibly searched him. He found a small wireless hands-free receiver hidden under his gotra (head dress).

The student tried to convince the instructor that there was no mobile phone hidden, but the instructor threatened to report him to the Educational Zone unless he handed over the phone.

The student lost his temper and shouted at the instructor, who became even more determined for the student to hand it over.

The student then started beating the instructor, shouting: "I do not want the education… I just want to beat you up." Other students rushed to help the instructor and managed to pull the student away.

The head of the academic committee reported the incident to the educational zone. An official called the student's father and told him that his son would not be allowed to sit for the examination.

The examinations are proving to be an eye opener every day for the examination committees around the UAE. Devious students are shocking even seasoned invigilators with novel methods of cheating.

"I thought I knew all the tricks in the book, but I still get surprised at how sneaky some students can be," said Adil Ahmed, head of an exam committee.

Ahmed said he had to intervene and talk sense to some students who were planning to beat up an invigilator after he had them disqualified.

One student, who was caught after he was acting suspicious, had a doctored mobile headset on. The man had stripped the head set bare except for the copper wire and the hearing device. To camouflage it, he wore a red chequered gotra. The wire passed from inside his pocket, under his kandura up to his ear. Anybody seeing the wire would think it was a loose string from the head dress.

In another instance, a student sent his aged grandmother to tell off the examining committee after he was disqualified.

The old woman came to the school with a stick looking to beat up the examiner who stopped her grandson from his examination. The headmaster of the school had to calm the woman down.