Exam cheating among Cambodian students: when, how, and why it happens

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explorer
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Re: Exam cheating among Cambodian students: when, how, and why it happens

Post by explorer »

It is sad that Cambodians don't think about the big picture. If they focused on giving students the best education they can, instead of getting as much money under the table as possible, Cambodians would be better educated, which would result in the country getting better.
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Re: Exam cheating among Cambodian students: when, how, and why it happens

Post by Kohker »

A secret to foreigners??? Really.
No just to blind fools.
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Re: Exam cheating among Cambodian students: when, how, and why it happens

Post by Clutch Cargo »

explorer wrote: Thu Nov 28, 2019 6:05 pm It is sad that Cambodians don't think about the big picture. If they focused on giving students the best education they can, instead of getting as much money under the table as possible, Cambodians would be better educated, which would result in the country getting better.
With respect, I think you have your western hat on. This is Asia (actually Cambodia).. :hattip:

Things will improve over time..
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Re: Exam cheating among Cambodian students: when, how, and why it happens

Post by John Bingham »

xandreu wrote: Thu Nov 28, 2019 5:08 pm

That's when the reality hit me that schools here, at least private schools, are not schools. They're businesses. The students aren't students, they're customers, or at least, their parents are.

Even the parents were in on the scam. They knew full well that their little darlings scores at the end of every term were based on false pretenses, but it just didn't seem to matter. Nobody, not the students, not the school, not the Khmer teachers nor the parents could have cared less. The only ones who did care seemed to be the foreign teachers.

I changed school after a while but I have to be honest, in my experience, most private schools tend to operate in similar ways here.

It's good that the government have cracked down on cheating in government run schools, I guess there's not much they can do about private ones.
There are differences between private schools here. Many of the less expensive ones are more just language centers than real schools with balanced curriculums. The much more expensive actual international schools do not allow cheating or plagiarism.
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explorer
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Re: Exam cheating among Cambodian students: when, how, and why it happens

Post by explorer »

explorer wrote: Thu Nov 28, 2019 5:58 pm It is supposed to be a secret to foreigners.
Kohker wrote: Thu Nov 28, 2019 6:06 pm A secret to foreigners??? Really.
No just to blind fools.
Some things can be wide spread, but there are Cambodians who think foreigners don't know about them.

Then different foreigners have a different level of understanding. You see people recently arrived who see things at a superficial level, and don't have a clue about what really goes on. There are some with some understanding. Then there are others with a good understanding.
SternAAlbifrons wrote: Tue Nov 05, 2019 4:34 pm Almost for sure, for a bloke like you, every 12 months or so you will come to a point when you realise that almost every "understanding", every "certainty", that you have learned about Cambodia has dissolved.
Congratulate yourself - you have just gone one onion-skin of illusion deeper towards real insight.
Only another 10 or 20 sets of experience, theories, learnings, perceptions, to go - each one dissolving again into (hopefully) humility and uncertainty, so the learning can begin anew.
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explorer
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Re: Exam cheating among Cambodian students: when, how, and why it happens

Post by explorer »

clutchcargo wrote: Thu Nov 28, 2019 6:11 pm
explorer wrote: Thu Nov 28, 2019 6:05 pm It is sad that Cambodians don't think about the big picture. If they focused on giving students the best education they can, instead of getting as much money under the table as possible, Cambodians would be better educated, which would result in the country getting better.
With respect, I think you have your western hat on. This is Asia (actually Cambodia)..

Things will improve over time..
Will they?

Do you think I can come back some time in the future and the system will be more fair?

Do you think I can come back some time in the future and there will be less people living in poverty?

There will be more large buildings built by Chinese and other investors, but will life really be better for the poor people?
## I thought I knew all the answers, but they changed all the questions. ##
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Re: Exam cheating among Cambodian students: when, how, and why it happens

Post by Clutch Cargo »

explorer wrote: Thu Nov 28, 2019 6:26 pm
clutchcargo wrote: Thu Nov 28, 2019 6:11 pm
explorer wrote: Thu Nov 28, 2019 6:05 pm It is sad that Cambodians don't think about the big picture. If they focused on giving students the best education they can, instead of getting as much money under the table as possible, Cambodians would be better educated, which would result in the country getting better.
With respect, I think you have your western hat on. This is Asia (actually Cambodia)..

Things will improve over time..
Will they?

Do you think I can come back some time in the future and the system will be more fair?

Do you think I can come back some time in the future and there will be less people living in poverty?

There will be more large buildings built by Chinese and other investors, but will life really be better for the poor people?
I like to think so.. but who knows? I'd rather be a glass half full guy than half empty.. :mrgreen:

I'm just making the point that I think you are using a western mindset that just doesn't apply here. Cambodia is a developing country after all..

And if you go thru life here with that mindset I think you will think badly of khmers rather than accept that this is the way things are.. I believe we westerners shouldn't unduly impose our standards here..after all, we are guests.

If I wanted Cambodia to be like my home country, I wouldn't be here..
explorer
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Re: Exam cheating among Cambodian students: when, how, and why it happens

Post by explorer »

clutchcargo wrote: Thu Nov 28, 2019 6:43 pm
explorer wrote: Thu Nov 28, 2019 6:26 pm
clutchcargo wrote: Thu Nov 28, 2019 6:11 pm
explorer wrote: Thu Nov 28, 2019 6:05 pm It is sad that Cambodians don't think about the big picture. If they focused on giving students the best education they can, instead of getting as much money under the table as possible, Cambodians would be better educated, which would result in the country getting better.
With respect, I think you have your western hat on. This is Asia (actually Cambodia)..

Things will improve over time..
Will they?

Do you think I can come back some time in the future and the system will be more fair?

Do you think I can come back some time in the future and there will be less people living in poverty?

There will be more large buildings built by Chinese and other investors, but will life really be better for the poor people?
I like to think so.. but who knows? I'd rather be a glass half full guy than half empty.. :mrgreen:

I'm just making the point that I think you are using a western mindset that just doesn't apply here. Cambodia is a developing country after all..

And if you go thru life here with that mindset I think you will think badly of khmers rather than accept that this is the way things are.. I believe we westerners shouldn't unduly impose our standards here..after all, we are guests.

If I wanted Cambodia to be like my home country, I wouldn't be here..
I believe one of the keys for things to improve in Cambodia, is for the people to be better educated.
## I thought I knew all the answers, but they changed all the questions. ##
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Re: Exam cheating among Cambodian students: when, how, and why it happens

Post by NitNoi »

Endemic cheating DOES hurt the country.
Local "qualifications" are of little value because everyone knows that cheating is rife.
explorer
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Re: Exam cheating among Cambodian students: when, how, and why it happens

Post by explorer »

NitNoi wrote: Thu Nov 28, 2019 7:37 pm Endemic cheating DOES hurt the country.
Local "qualifications" are of little value because everyone knows that cheating is rife.
Those with money who can pay the bribes get the best results and the best jobs.

The poor have no hope.

One girl who sells drinks in a place where I have been cycling, left school. I said it is good to stay in school and get a good education. She said her family is poor, and does not have money for extra classes. If you don't attend extra classes, you have no hope of passing the exams, so there is no point in going to school.

With the entrance exam for studying teaching. I have been told, those who pay bribes, know they will pass before they take the exam. Those who don't pay bribes have little hope of passing.
Last edited by explorer on Fri Nov 29, 2019 5:33 am, edited 1 time in total.
## I thought I knew all the answers, but they changed all the questions. ##
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