The Ministry of Education in the United Arab Emirates has distributed a comprehensive 'Anti-Cheating and Examination Integrity Guide' to schools across various emirates, emphasizing the necessity for students and parents to adhere strictly to its directives.

This initiative precedes the end-of-year examinations scheduled from June 10 to June 19, 2024, for students in grades three through twelve, in a concerted effort to promote academic honesty and ensure examinations are conducted with the utmost transparency.

The guide, applicable for the 2024-2025 academic year, serves as a mandatory legal and procedural reference aimed at cultivating a culture of integrity and fairness within the examination environment.

This effort is part of the ministry's broader strategy to produce a generation capable of competing and innovating within a fair and transparent educational system.

According to the guidelines reviewed, any attempt at cheating, question leakage, or the use of illicit means—whether traditional or digital—both inside and outside examination halls, constitutes a clear violation that warrants accountability and sanctions.

This applies to students, examination personnel, and any individual facilitating breaches of examination integrity.

The document outlines a range of penalties applicable to students, beginning with deductions from behavior grades and potentially escalating to receiving a score of zero in the subject or all subjects after repeated violations.

Parents will be notified, and students may be referred to behavioral assessment programs when necessary.

For staff involved in examinations, sanctions may vary from verbal warnings to salary deductions, with severe cases leading to dismissal or referral to legal authorities.

Explicit warnings against the use of electronic devices in examination halls, the sharing of information via social media, or any form of signaling or hinting to peers are included in the directives.

Additionally, the guide prohibits the introduction of unauthorized paper or digital resources during examinations.

The ministry has urged schools to continuously educate students and their guardians on the contents and objectives of the guide, while clearly delineating responsibilities among committees and proctors to ensure compliance and integrity in examinations.

Furthermore, it encourages reporting any violations through official channels, including an online link, dedicated email, and a toll-free number.

The Ministry of Education underscores that combating cheating is a shared responsibility that necessitates full community commitment, calling for collective efforts to establish a robust educational environment free from negative behaviors that uphold the values of excellence and justice, guiding students towards genuine success based on their own efforts.