Passing the ethical test

Gone are the days of peering over a desk to copy a fellow pupil’s answers – instead, tech-savvy students are now harnessing the enormous power of the internet to cheat in a variety of imaginative ways.

It may well be that some students see the use of internet “cheat sites” as a fundamentally harmless activity – a victimless crime, perhaps.

The reality, of course, is that any type of cheating cheapens the value of a degree for everybody, and is deeply unfair on the vast majority of students who work honestly and diligently throughout their courses.

In some ways, there is an air of inevitability about the rise of internet-driven plagiarism. There have been few advances in technology which have not been used for ill as well as for good.

And certainly there is a pleasing symmetry in the fact that IT developments are also equipping teachers and universities to detect cheats in new and innovative ways.

It is not just technology which is driving up cases of cheating in education, however. Separate figures obtained by this newspaper reveal parents are increasingly using unfair means to ensure their children gain places in the school of their choice.

Such people may be well-meaning, but what message does it send to these youngsters – some as young as four – to see their parents conning teachers in order to get what they want?

Worse still is the revelation that a minority of teachers are cheating to ensure students pass their courses.

No doubt a culture which has become far too focused upon exam results and league tables – sometimes to the detriment of learning the basics of right and wrong – is in part to blame. But again, the message pupils will take when they see their teacher cheat to help them through an exam is painfully clear.

An education system which harbours deceit at every level will not provide us with the future we need.

As a society it is vital we set the right example for our young people. Ensuring that cheats never prosper is a test we must all pass.