Sure cheating is bad, but when a single exam has the power of controlling your destiny (as China's "gaokao" or college entrance exam does), the pressure to do well can be too much.
To make sure that people don't cheat on their exams, the Chinese government has jailed 8 parents and teachers caught in a cheating scheme on charges of stealing state secrets!
The Legal Daily newspaper said the parents began plotting in 2007 because their children's achievements were "not ideal". One group bribed a teacher to fax them the test paper and paid university students to provide answers, which were transmitted to the children through earpieces. The ruse was discovered when police detected "abnormal radio signals" near the school.
Another man had created an even more elaborate - and expensive - system. He bribed a student to send him the questions using a miniature scanner and hired nine teachers to answer them. He then sent their work back to his son and the other boy. A teacher was also jailed for charging parents to deliver answers to students. The equipment he used failed on the day.
I don't necessarily feel sorry for people who cheat on the tests, but isn't jail a bit harsh? I'm all for harsh punishments, but that's a bit much. Of course,that shouldn't shock me given that we're talking about a Communist country here.
Seriously though, it is a bad idea to put so much on one test. Rather, students should have the whole of their record to speak for them; It's more fair, and a far more accurate measure of their abilities.