Back in 1992 a news clipping from The Age newspaper was distributed amongst the Year 12 students at my high school. The controversial article outlined a drastic new plan whereby the government would imprison students who were found to be cheating on their Common Assessment Tasks. This controversial move was in response to a report that uncovered high levels of cheating throughout the VCE program, including instances of students paying other students to complete their assignments for them.
The article sent the student body into fits. Ever-vigilant Student Council members protested in the strongest of terms to anyone who'd listen, labelling the idea draconian, unconstitutional and absolutely preposterous. And of course it would have been; if it were true.
Turns out a mischievous student (who shall remain nameless but who made a pretty penny completing others students’ assignments), had so much free time on his hands that he fabricated the article himself for a bit of a laugh. I don't think even he expected it to be swallowed as quickly and as easily as it was.
The incident was just brought back to mind when I came across this familiar-sounding story from the BBC Online. It appears that the West African Examinations Council is threatening school pupils in Liberia with possible prison sentences if they cheat in their exams! Ma… I mean, the unnamed student was 14 years ahead of his time!
Somehow I ended up with the original article stuck to my bedroom wall, but I’m not sure where it is anymore. Might have got lost during a move, or it might be sitting in some box somewhere, just waiting to come out into the light once again. We’ll just have to wait and see.
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well, can't rag him for being lazy ;-)
ReplyDeleteIt never seemed like you needed any help, Max. Quite the opposite; it seemed like you would've been capable of doing the work of two people, or three people...
ReplyDeleteHey Gina Marie. Welcome to our little neck o' the woods. How'd you happen to stumble onto this path?
ReplyDeleteHe was, and is, a paradoxical fellow. He's one of the most unmotivated and unambitious people I know, and yet he's also one the most talented and enterprising. I still don’t know how he found the time.
He did it through Uni also... was also known to be in with the lecturer and was known to be marking students work for him while he was still studying... as per usual... nothing sticks and the susequent investiagtion managed to dismiss all charges...
ReplyDeleteHe is not as lazy anymore and is currently planning the destruction of the earth... in between heel flips of course...