July 31, 2009
In a recent written examination taken by local judges, public prosecutors and police officers in Liangzhou, Gansu Province, 25 of the exam candidates were caught cheating by invigilators, a role filled by 18 elementary school students. Passing the examination was part of the requirements for the candidates to get promoted to more senior positions within the local government.
There were 265 government employees that took the exam on July 26. To ensure fairness and transparency, 18 elementary school students were assigned to assist government officials (from the local discipline department) as well as high school teachers to watch over the exam.
During the two-hour long exam, the young invigilators caught a total of 25 cheats. The government later announced that “the exam results of the cheats who were caught would be nullified according to the relevant regulations.”
According to the report, the incident caused a shock among the locals who were surprised that the elementary students were so principled.
A government official, who refused to reveal his name, told the reporter that “it should be easy for a grown-up invigilator to discover a cheat too, but since they have many other concerns－too relaxed you would not be doing your job, too strict then you might catch fire to yourself－so most of them would choose the middle way, which is to turn a blind eye and a deaf ear.”
- Beijing Times (Chinese): 25 police officers caught cheating by elementary students