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Rabat- In Thursday’s Government Council meeting, Government Spokesperson Mustapha El Khalfi revealed that 329,395 students took the baccalaureate final exam, which began June 5 and ends Friday, June 8.
Quoting a statement by Minister of Education Said Amzazi, El Khalfi said that out of the 440,000 students enrolled in the baccalaureate 2017-2018 school year, 329,395 sat for the examination, which represented an increase compared to 2017 when approximately 325,000 students took the exam.
He added that the Ministry recorded an absence rate of 3 percent and that the number of “free” baccalaureate candidates who showed up for the exam reached 49,571.
“Free” baccalaureate candidates are those who do not attend classes during school year due to health reasons, work, or a prison sentence.
Baccalaureate exam 2018 cheating rate
Despite the Ministry of Education’s firm measures to prevent cheating during baccalaureate exams, including the installation of cameras in classrooms, the ministry stated that it recorded 1,267 cases of cheating across the country, 86 percent of which occurred through the use of mobile phones.
During the meeting, Head of Government Saad Eddine El Othmani warned that there are some non-student entities who are experts in cheating and take pride in it as their profession.
El Othmani also explained that the baccalaureate cheating rate has dropped by 20 percent compared to last year when it fell by 60 percent compared to 2016. He said that additional efforts should be made to further decrease the rate.
In 2016, the Ministry of Education prosecuted more than 3,048 cases of baccalaureate cheating.
El Othmani applauded efforts to raise awareness about cheating and to reduce it, emphasizing that the Moroccan baccalaureate diploma has great value both nationally and internationally and should be granted only to those who truly deserve it. Failure to do so could harm Morocco’s reputation.
On the first day of the exam, photos of exam questions in science, physics, and Arabic were leaked on social media. Students have also been active on Whatsapp groups that provide answers to the baccalaureate exam questions, according to the Ministry of Education, which has tracked the people who leaked the photos.
