Egypt's exam fraud scandal is indication of deeper problems below the surface, writes Amin Howeidi The leaking of the thanawiya aama (secondary school) examinations was nothing short of a national scandal. It is a disgrace not only to the education system but also to the entire country. Our trust was betrayed; our faith was shattered. My father was a teacher and that was the most honourable profession a man could aspire to have. I remember a line of poetry we committed to heart as children: "Stand up before the teacher and show respect, for a prophet he almost is." Where's the respect now? Indeed, where is the self-respect? Police investigations in the Minya incident portray a sad picture, one in which teachers sold examination papers as if they were pushing drugs; one in which students paid in cash for a privilege both illegal and unimaginable. What were they thinking? What were the students imagining as they saw their teachers take money to betray their conscience? What did the teachers feel when stabbing their sacred profession in the heart? This was high treason. Our enemies couldn't have done worse to us. Our teachers were supposed to protect us, be models for our children; not lead the way in corruption and malfeasance. Besides, the hullabaloo we get every year with the thanawiya aama examinations is something I fail to understand. In my time, we just put on our jackets, grabbed a pen and ran out to the examination halls. We had no private tutors, no after-hour classes, and certainly no examinations on sale. We sat for the examinations, waited for the results, took our papers to the university enrolment office, and went to the colleges that matched our academic skills. We didn't have special examination rooms for the sons of the rich and powerful. We didn't have middlemen to purchase the questions for us. We didn't need the prosecution office to intervene. It was a simple educational procedure and it worked. What happened in Minya is a sign that the education system needs complete overhaul every step of the way. What happened in Minya was a result of business controlling government and money running every other aspect of our lives. Are we sure that no other malpractices happened elsewhere? Horrible as it is, the thought that other transgressions went on undetected in other parts of the country is hard to dispel. There is a lot of soul-searching that needs to be done, especially at the Teachers' Syndicate. The syndicate thinks that its main job is to demand more pay for the teachers. But where is the responsibility towards the nation? I suggest that the syndicate holds a general conference to discuss the state of the profession. Teachers need a code of honour for their profession. They need to end malpractice and private tutoring and focus on giving our children a better education and example. We need to reassert our commitment to higher moral values. We need to put honour and probity on the map again. This goes for everyone, not just teachers.
