Student unrest related to examinations has been reported in several countries this summer, including Mexico, Portugal, and India. Experts suggest that the rise of AI cheating and attempts to digitise examinations are central to the issues, alongside the pressure for good grades in a challenging global economy.
In Mexico, approximately 58,000 university applicants were required to retake entrance exams at the National Autonomous University of Mexico (Unam) due to abnormally high marks raising suspicions of widespread cheating. Portugal experienced its worst education crisis in decades following a failed attempt to digitise school exam marking, which resulted in serious errors and led to protests demanding the education minister's resignation.
India saw the largest incident, where an exam paper leak affected millions of students. This scandal was linked to more than a dozen student suicides and resulted in the education minister's resignation. Dr Sarah Eaton, an expert on academic ethics, noted that when a single test can determine a young person's future, cheating becomes a systemic issue, compounded by illicit industries exploiting student desperation.
Schools globally are addressing student use of AI, with some implementing bans and others teaching AI literacy. Denmark announced that teenagers will need to provide a verbal defence of their written essays from the new term to combat AI cheating. Dr Thomas Lancaster, a computer scientist, highlighted that cheating has become more sophisticated, with students using technology like earpieces and miniature cameras, and increasingly, AI.