With the national college entrance exam steaming into view, the Ministry of Education has issued a circular that aims to boost exam security and prevent the spread of fabricated exam papers via internet.

The circular said all national college entrance exam papers must be printed at printing houses designated by the National Administration for the Protection of State Secrets.

The transportation, distribution and storage of exam papers must be carried out in line with the national regulations on exam security and the protection of state secrets, the circular said.

For instance, exam papers must not be stored overnight at the exam venues, but at a designated place guarded by armed police and other special staff, according to the circular.

The National College Entrance Exam is one of the most important examinations in China, because it is the only chance for most high school students to get access to higher education. It takes place early in June.

Staff will be appointed to monitor exam security issues on the Internet, according to the circular.

In recent years, some cases have come to light in which people sold "real" national college entrance exam papers at hefty prices on the Internet, claiming that they had got the papers from the exam paper designers. Some parents and students were fooled and lost money.

Supervision and inspection of exam venues will be tightened to prevent students using mobile phones or other high-tech gadgets to cheat and to avoid cases of false identity, said the circular.

Local education authorities will open a hotline so that the general public can report wrongdoing, such as cheating or abuse of power, said the circular.

Last year, 9.5 million students sat for the exam but only 2.6 million secured enrollment to universities or colleges.
 
(Xinhua News Agency May 19, 2007)