Confessions of a young and dangerous mind
Published on March 8, 2008
The Nation Newspaper
The following took place during the investigation into an alleged cheating case during the recent Ordinary National Educational Test, in which more than 300,000 high-school students took the crucial exam to determine whether they would be able to enter university.
The following was the result of an unofficial interrogation and shall not be used for any reference. As the investigation is not final, we must withhold the name of the student. Let's hear what's on this student's mind:
"Don't judge me before you hear what I have to say. What could a failing student like me do to pass the exam? I decided to take a chance on this exam because it will determine the rest of my life.
"This test will decide whether I will be accepted by the university. It will determine my future. My mother wants me to become a doctor. And she does not like the song 'Que Sera Sera'.
"My parents said they always dreamt of seeing me graduate from an elite university. Of course, I realise that there are many people who graduate from open universities and manage to be successful. But you have to understand that the name of the school also counts in our social life.
"In fact, I don't like studying so it does not matter which college I go to. But my family, with their outstanding academic records, don't expect their child to be a mediocre student.
"If you think my life is easy, try joining our family reunion dining table. During the party, parents with not-so-smart children tend to stay silent when asked what their children are doing.
"The parents who have children in medical school can brag with pride, while the parents whose children have no academic achievements want to hide their faces under the table cloth. When my parents were asked where I would study next year, they promised the guests at the dining table, 'Well, either Thammasat or Chula.'
"To prepare for the exam, I tried to memorise the textbooks. But I could not concentrate for long. After browsing through a couple of pages, I could not resist the temptation to check computer games on-line.
"Some of my senior school mates told me that the situation was worse in the past when all students had to go through one central examination. That one judgement day would determine the future of your life, so I was told.
"These days, we have O-Net and A-Net [Advanced National Education Test] scores, which can give us a second chance. But frankly, I don't think it changed anything. My friends and I were still going to cram schools because they give you tricks on how to cross the right answers. I am not sure if we are more analytical than our predecessors because the tests didn't require us to think but to memorise.
"As the exam date drew near, I felt the pressure. It doesn't help that the Education Ministry decided to increase the subjects from 5 to 8, meaning I have to memorise more subjects. I had to think of short cuts to succeed.
"'It does not matter how you pass. People care only about the result,' one of my friends said. 'Who cares how you became rich. If you're rich, people think you must be good at something.'
"So I started to use my pea brain to think of how to succeed in such a short period. Cheating isn't so bad, considering the son of a leader, whose name I forget, cheated in class but no one punished him. The success of cheating depends on whether you can get away with it.
"Some of my friends used the old technique of passing a rubber with the answer on it in the exam room. I thought that trick was so lame, it has been used for decades. Teachers are accustomed to it. Then, a friend told me of the new wristwatch-cellphone. Someone can SMS the answers through this phone. My friend told me not to worry about the teachers. They had no idea about the evolution of this phone. These teachers' salary is not enough to buy this new gadget anyway.
"So, I asked my parents for the money to buy this phone, claiming that I needed to attend a cram-school course. I know my parents' weakness. They wanted me to pass the exam so badly.
"When the exam date came, the trick was a success. Teachers didn't know what this gadget was capable of. I managed to pass four tests before the technique was revealed on a web-board. I was caught and the rest is history.
"Now I am sitting in front of you, it's hard to say if I am repentant. Perhaps it was just unlucky that I was caught red-handed. If only, if only, I could have got away with it. I simply hope that my family is powerful enough to stop the current staff who are investigating the case. And then they install a new group of teachers who will be more easily convinced that the cheating never happened."
Signed: A Student.
jeerawat na thalang
jeerawat@nationgroup.com
The Nation
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