9 million Chinese students appear for national college test

BEIJING: Over 9.4 million Chinese school students today appeared for the first day of the nationwide college entrance test called Gaokao, which determines their future education.

Stated to be a nerve-wracking exercise for the students and parents, entire China virtually comes to grinding halt for the two-day event.

This is also the time the government steps up security to prevent cheating using modern gadgets.

Public security departments across the country have exposed cases of producing, selling and using telecom instruments used for cheating during the test in Jinlin, Jiangsu and Guangdong provinces, the Ministry of Education said.

Police in Hubei, Shandong and Hebei provinces cracked down on a number of suspected criminal groups who provide assistance to cheating students, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.

Education and police authorities will continue to investigate crimes including stealing and selling examination papers, leaking information to exam sitters, providing equipment designed for cheating, and cyber attacks on exam websites.

The Ministry of Education warned that cheating students would be stripped of the enrollment qualification for a period ranging from one to three years.

Parents involved will also be seriously punished according to the law.