The Anti-Corruption Unit (ACU) plans to deploy more than 3,000 volunteer observers to oversee the Grade 12 examinations set to take place on November 6-7.

ACU spokesperson Soy Chanvichet said the body had successfully collaborated with the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport for nine years to uphold transparency and equity in exam procedures.

“The results of observations over the past years have indicated that the exam process proceeded smoothly, with fairness, justice and transparency, all aligned with the slogan of ‘passing the exam with genuine knowledge’,” he said.

The ACU is fully prepared to act as government representatives in overseeing the upcoming exams and others, he added, before highlighting the need for deeper exam reform, with the new government continuing to view reforms as a crucial element in development.

Chhort Bunthong, head of the Culture, Education and Tourist Relations department at the Royal Academy of Cambodia, expressed support for the efforts of the ACU and the education ministry to enhance the integrity and precision of the Grade 12 exam process. This is aimed at ensuring both quality and transparency.

“We must ensure that candidates refrain from cheating. It is imperative to enhance the quality of the proctors’ work in the testing centre, highlighting their high level of responsibility throughout the exam process,” he said.

He also urged the observers to conduct themselves appropriately, avoiding any action that might disrupt the concentration of candidates.

Ouk Chhayavy, head of the Cambodian Independent Teachers Association (CITA), suggested that the ministry enhance its monitoring mechanism instead of relying on assistance from other units, which she said was the practice during the exam process in the 1980s.

“Sometimes, the presence of numerous ACU observers in the testing centres can be disruptive to the candidates’ composure and cause them anxiety.

Typically, young individuals tend to feel apprehensive and experience a loss of concentration when they sense people scrutinising them,” she said.

Chhayavy urged the ministry to prioritise the exams for a more effective reform of the nation’s education sector.

The Grade 12 exams for the current academic year is scheduled for November 6-7, with the correction process running November 11-15.

The ministry has issued instructions regarding the roles and responsibilities of invigilators nationwide for the exams.

It emphasises that Cambodia has enacted laws and regulations pertaining to the exams, including the Penal Code, the Law on Anti-Corruption, the Law on the General Statute of Civil Servants and the Law on Education.

In accordance with these laws, the government has established specific guidelines to ensure the process proceeds smoothly and securely.