High school students who copy their exams or get others to write their final projects should be disqualified from the exam. Politicians said that rules should be developed and applied across the board. Marie Krarup, a DF spokesperson who has taught as a secondary school teacher, called cheating “a huge problem”.
“I myself have been involved in cases in which I have been fairly sure that a pupil did not write their own exam, but it can be difficult to prove,” Karup told Berlingske. “There must be common guidelines so that cheating students are punished equally.”
Uniform rules needed
The Education Ministry said that it is up the the head of the individual school to assess whether a student has been cheating, whether or not they admit it. The ministry also said that it is up to the school head to expel cheating students.
Esben Lunde Larsen, Venstre’s education spokesperson, said that uniform rules and practices are needed.
“It is important that there are crystal clear rules on enforcement, including how students' legal rights are protected,” Larsen told Berlingske.
Oral exams
A majority of MPs want to see an oral exam introduced as part of the testing process.
“We think it is important to introduce an oral exam in which you can find out whether students actually learned the material,” said Karup.
SF secondary education spokesman Trine Mach called oral exams an “interesting proposal”, but only part of a solution that should include more and better guidance for students.
Parents cheating also
Anne-Birgitte Rasmussen, the head of the high school governing agency organisation, said that more and more parents are helping students with written assignments and that she is in favour of an oral exam.
"We think it's an excellent idea to have the option of an oral examination,” she said. “Whether it should be for everyone is something we can consider.”
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The Education Ministry is currently investigating the extent of cheating in the nation’s high schools.
