Official accused in exam cheating scam

By Yang Lifei  |   2008-6-20  |     NEWSPAPER EDITION

A GOVERNMENT official in Shandong Province is suspected of having organized 16 students to take the National College Entrance Examination for others in Tianshui, Gansu Province, the Legal Daily reported.

Huo Jigang, vice director of the Yanggu County Forestry Bureau, allegedly entrusted a chemistry teacher Wei Chengjia and a laid-off female worker Zhang Yuru to solicit students, all of whom are studying in senior 2 at Yanggu No. 1 High School.

Police in Tianshui have arrested Wei and Zhang, but the report did not say whether Huo had been detained.

The exam substitutes arrived in Tianshui on June 4. They alleged that their teacher Wei told them they would attend an exam outside their city. All 16 students have returned to Shandong after being questioned by police.

On the morning of June 7, the first day of the three days of exams, test supervisors became suspicious about a boy who did not write his own name correctly. Tianshui police were called and they detained two suspects later that day. By the afternoon of June 8, a total of 16 students had been caught taking examinations for others.

Both the Shandong and Gansu governments have set up special task forces to conduct a thorough investigation. "We must go to the greatest lengths to make up for the harm the cheating has caused to the integrity of the National College Entrance Examination," the governments said.