Copy That Part 1

Thai students cheat. Of course they do, students all around the world do that. But in Thailand the copying of another's work and plagiarism are rife. They cheat when it matters- for tests and exams- and they cheat when it doesn’t- on worksheets and simple exercises. Their cheating is overt; it often doesn’t take the form of the sneaky-peak over the shoulder of a brighter student- usually it’s far more obvious than that- although when they know that they are being watched closely they do seem to be able to cheat by telepathy!

But by cheating so openly the Thai students show that they aren’t worried about getting caught. And why would they be when the ramifications of getting caught are negligible and most Thai teachers prefer to ignore the problem?

Whilst supervising supposedly important exams I’ve caught students brazenly cheating, yet the Thai teachers wave the issue away; the offence is just too trivial for them. I’ve failed students for cheating too, but that doesn’t work; unless the situation is extreme students simply don’t 'fail' an exam they just re-sit until they pass. And if they can’t pass then the student is given an easier test.

It’s not the student’s fault that they cheat then, is it, when adults either ignore it, implicitly condone it, or, as a number of high-profile cases have shown are actively cheating themselves? Thailand as you know is highly corrupt and that is not going to change if Thai youngsters are not taught that seeking rewards from someone elses effort is simply wrong.