Defying the authorities' promise of severe punishments for cheating on school tests, fraudulent cases come up one after another during examinations.

The cases of organized mass cheating in Zhenping and Puyang, central China's Henan Province during this month's National College Entrance Examination (CEE) have just been investigated. Meanwhile, the leaking of questions on the National Band Four/Six College English Test (CET), which was held last Saturday, has been widely reported.

Such serious cheating has caused major headaches for the country's educational administrators and society in general.

Examinations and cheating are like twin brothers who are always together. When the examination results impact on the participants' prospects -- examinations like the CEE will decide students' future, proficiency tests like the CET are also connected with the participants' diplomas and employment -- the stakes are particularly high.

It is difficult to totally eradicate cheating because there will always be some students willing to take the risk and break the rules of fair competition. But the scale of cheating in these recent cases is a stunning sign of the erosion of moral education in the country's school system.

Credibility is a critical quality in a market economy. Fine institutions, such as a complete credit system, are vital to sustaining a social environment honoring credibility.

While boosting students' capability to survive various tests and exams, our schools have displayed a conspicuous neglect of moral education -- a less practical aspect of individual development.

Even the recent call for basic education to shift focus from test scores to quality enrichment has confined itself largely to the cultivation of pragmatic skills.

At home and in classes, our young citizens are prepared for the mounting pressure of competition in the adult society.

Unremitting corporate scandals, official corruption, as well as academic plagiarism -- with their links to the lack of credibility -- have become a serious problem in today's society.

A commitment letter was signed by millions of participants in this year's CEE in an effort to purge cheating in the test rooms. Still, several provinces have reported rampant cheating in the exams. Investigations show almost all cheating was carefully premeditated.

Major culprits behind many fraudulent cases are the students' parents, teachers, or even some education administrators. In such an environment, we can hardly expect our youth to value credibility to the full extent.

Cultivating an environment that treasures credibility and professional ethics in society is vital to eliminating cheating in the test rooms.

(China Daily June 22, 2004)