Beijing, June 7 (BLAZETRENDS).- The Chinese university entrance exam, the “gaokao”, began its first day today, breaking a new record of students, 12.91 million, who are risking their future in a test that will pass history as the most closely monitored so far to prevent fraud.
The ministries of Education and Public Security declared this Monday that they will show “zero tolerance” towards crimes related to the exam, which will last between Wednesday and Thursday, and indicated that the Police of several towns have already investigated various cases of cheating. and frauds.
Among the violations, the authorities cited the leaking of the questions and answers, the participation of impostors and the sale or use of electronic devices that allow cheating during the test.
Penalties of up to seven years in prison for copying
Since 2016, cheating on the “gaokao” is a crime included in China’s Penal Code and punishable by up to seven years in prison, due to the existence of mafias that try to sell artifacts to students to cheat, such as clothing with built-in microphones.
The Ministry of Education asked participants and parents “do not trust announcements from training centers that claim to know the exam questions” or “promises to pass”, since “the exam papers are kept secret” and ” inaccessible to educational centers.
Likewise, testing institutions in provinces such as Yunnan and Guangzhou in the south have improved their intelligent security controls, which will be able to detect any electronic device such as mobile phones, headphones and electronic watches, the local newspaper Global Times reported.
In the city of Bijie, in the center of the country, applicants will have to go through three security checks before being seated and starting the test.
To prevent the presence of impostors, the megalopolis of Chongqing (center) will apply for the first time a video facial recognition system at the access points to the examination centers.
a quiet environment
These days, Chinese cities divert traffic from certain roads so as not to harm young people taking the test, and some construction work or other noisy activities are halted until the end of the exam.
The city of Zibo (east), which has become famous throughout the country this year for organizing large-scale barbecues, becoming a lively tourist destination, will see the grills stop during the two days of the event to maintain a “quiet environment”, reported the Association of Barbecue Stores in a statement that earned the applause of numerous Internet users.
Devaluation of access to the University?
The entrance exam, which millions of Chinese students have taken since 1977, is a stressful litmus test for young people in the Asian giant, since having higher education can determine professional success in their lives and is a source of social pride for their families, even more so if they access a prestigious university.
To such an extent that, along with those who attend for the first time, there will once again be the veteran Liang Shi, 56, a successful businessman who, however, is present this year for the 27th time, after failing on previous occasions to achieve the Note that the university of your dreams requires.
However, commentators on the Asian country’s social networks wonder if the increasing number of participants in the “gaokao” represents a devaluation of university degrees, especially after China registered a record number of youth unemployment among residents urban (20.4%) last May.
“Those who apply for ‘gaokao’ today no longer have the feeling that they will soon reap great rewards, but instead have a deep concern: will they find work in four years?”, says a user of the Weibo social network.