China amends rules to prevent exam cheating

BEIJING, May 14 (Xinhua) -- The Ministry of Education on Monday issued amended rules concerning punishments for cheating on national exams in response to a growing trend of using technology to cheat on the tests.

The ministry posted the revisions on its website, adding 15 stipulations to the regulations, which were first issued in May 2004.

The ministry said the regulations have been revised for the first time to respond to "new circumstances, problems, technology and rampant mass cheating," adding that the original regulations had become outdated.

The rules have been expanded to cover entrance exams for art and physical education programs, as enrollment violations have frequently occurred in these areas.

Carrying equipment that is "capable of sending or receiving signals" into an exam is prohibited by the new rules, which previously forbade only cell phones and other telecommunication devices.

The new rules also clarify the role of surveillance cameras in exam administration, as the devices are an important way to collect evidence if cheating is suspected.

Falsifying others' exam registration information or disturbing order during an exam will also result in punishment, the revisions say.

In recent years, online sales of electronic equipment and other devices used to cheat on exams have increased, and leaks of confidential exam content occasionally occur.