Cheating is a global problem and is particularly sensitive to admissions to universities and professional educational institutions and enlistment. In Jammu and Kashmir, the northernmost part of India, 800 mobile phone signal blockers (also known as cell phone jammer) are installed and operated at the test site.

However, a loophole has recently emerged in this system. Wasim Ahmed, an Indian student, studying at NS (Nawab Shah) College of Engineering, was caught cheating. Ahmed hid his phone under his underwear, a microphone tucked into a shirt and a Bluetooth receiver in his ear. He handed the question to the accomplice on his cell phone and dictated the answer.

Earlier this month, four students at Rangsit University’s medical school in Thailand were also caught cheating on entrance exams. Two were wearing glasses with built-in cameras, and three were using smartwatches. Glasses were used to take pictures of exam questions. During a break, the examinee handed someone a pair of glasses and sent the photo to an accomplice elsewhere at a temporary command centre. The accomplice reviewed the problem and sent the answer by text to the examinee, who checked it with a smartwatch.

It is good news that such misconduct has been discovered. No one would want to have surgery under anaesthesia on someone who became a doctor by cheating. However, there are differences in the specific methods, but acts like Ahmed’s are repeated worldwide. Even in Iraq, this cheating is so serious that it has shut down most of the country’s internet network.

In this situation, cheating using the Internet seems to be the main problem. But the real problem is that most exams are outdated learning concepts. This is what happens because cheaters can search the Internet for information and find answers.

We are increasingly becoming information cyborgs with instant, real-time information and communications, artificial intelligence bots, and more. Worldwide knowledge can be found at your fingertips anytime, anywhere. So if we teach and test human creativity instead of memorizing, cheating will be useless, and everything will be fine.

Of course, all exams should be ‘open smartphone’ exams and the ability to find information and answers using a smartphone should be part of the exam. Because the world is changing that way now, and their lives will always be with the Internet. It is unimaginable for today’s test-taking students to live in a world without mobile Internet.

In the case discussed above, people use cell phone jammer to solve certain social problems. We have discussed this topic in this post. I think it’s solving the problem. But in reality, there are already smartphones, and wireless communication exists. Internet access is everywhere in the world, and smartphones and wireless devices are becoming more and more common.

Some of the social problems appear to be caused by cell phones. But even if this is the case, ‘blocking your phone is rarely the best solution to this problem. The beginning of this problem is IT. And the best way to solve problems caused by IT is always ‘better IT’.

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