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Can such a measure truly guarantee honesty in the exam hall? No one knows. There is no evidence that this procedure has had any real effect so far. For the students, it is nothing but an additional procedure to go through. In the end, those who always cheat on exams will continue to do so and those who don't won't. On the other hand, there have been no reports of cheaters receiving heavier punishment after signing the guarantee paper compared to the past, when there was no such document to sign.
Then, why have the education authorities taken this step to eliminate cheating on exams? The reason is very simple -- they are the authorities and they do what they do for their own reasons.
This can be found everywhere; as long as a higher authority gives an instruction, lower authorities will put up huge posters in key spots, boasting of their determination to carry it out. They will also convey the same message in meetings.
Chinese authorities used to paint slogans on walls; nowadays, they hang up banners with slogans. The form of presentation may be improved, but the essence of the slogans remains unchanged -- as long as there is something to be promoted, public slogans are a must.
If he has displayed slogans in public, an official has shown a correct attitude in taking direction from the higher authority seriously, whether or not he is truly working on the issue. As for the higher authority, he will feel respected and obeyed. As time goes by, the slogans will need to be spiced up with words like "truly" and "really" to keep the higher authority satisfied.
The letter of guarantee of honesty in exams serves the same function as a slogan. It is well and widely known that university students frequently cheat on exams. China's English exams are certainly no exception, and reports of cheating continue to appear. When this negatively impacts a university's image, making life unpleasant for the leaders and forcing higher authorities to claim they are dealing with the problem, the most convenient solution is to come up with a slogan.
Putting up banners is not a creative solution for high-level schools; thus comes the letter of guarantee of honesty. Before long, no doubt such terms as "seriously" or "sincerely" will be added to the letter.
It has been perfectly clear from ancient times to the present that no cheating is allowed in exams; this is known even by illiterate farmers. Furthermore, the prohibition against cheating has been explicitly stated in school regulations. Therefore there is no need for students to sign a guarantee, and this will not stop cheating. The behavior of teachers and authorities is clear enough evidence of this.
As a matter of fact, cheating is not uncommon among university faculties or even education authorities in matters such as teacher assessments or academic research. Some faculty members even enlist their students in their wrongdoings. What's more, some well-known Chinese professors accused of plagiarizing others' works have been so shameless as to debate the matter in court.
Even so, such professors have not been disciplined by their schools. They have maintained their teaching jobs, continued to guide their students, and some have even obtained big prizes from the education authorities. As a consequence, some students who successfully cheat in exams feel it is something to be proud of.
With such schools, such professors and such students who enjoy cheating, it is no surprise that the poor authorities cannot come up with a better solution than issuing slogans.
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(Zhang Ming is a professor and supervisor of doctoral students at the School of International Relations of the People's University of China in Beijing. He has a PhD in politics, and is the former dean of the Politics Department at People's University. This article is translated and edited from the Chinese by UPI Asia Online. The original may be found at www.ncn.org and zhangming.vip.bokee.com ©Copyright Zhang Ming.)
