DepEd vows action vs. online class cheaters

The Department of Education (DepEd) said Monday that students who have resorted to online cheating will be held accountable.

Education Secretary Leonor Briones was responding to the viral Facebook group wherein students, who now attend classes partly online or learn from printed modules, share answer keys for their respective exams. 

Students have been learning their lessons under such setups since face-to-face classes have been prohibited since March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

“Cheating in schools is a lingering issue. I am not justifying this, but we assure the public we will not tolerate and we are seeking assistance from authorities on who to investigate,” Briones said during the Palace briefing.

The National Bureau of Investigation earlier said it is monitoring Facebook pages for online cheating.

“Cheating is a problem not only in schools, in society, but also in human nature,” the Education secretary added.

Briones then said that as such, adults who are with these students should set a good example and call out such deceit. 

“We are taught that honesty is the best policy and the best teachers of that honesty are the adults themselves,” she said. 

Briones said Monday that the government already approved limited face-to-face classes in areas with minimal risk of COVID-19 infection. However, the start of such classes has yet to be determined since the resumption must be approved by the host local government unit, and parents and guardians must give their consent to send children back to in-person classes. 

The DepEd secretary said at least 100 public schools are ready to implement a limited face-to-face classes. —KG, GMA News