The Role of School Leaders in Eliminating Academic Dishonesty

Nobody knows how to cheat as soon as they are born. Many factors have led to its popularity but critically the decline of professors’ ethic, the breakthroughs of modern technology, and it is necessary that school leaders have serve discipline to stop its appearance. In addition, it is also claimed that “pure laziness” only represents a specific ratio of cheating by students. Admittedly, not everyone wants to possess a degree by spending years and money on college/university without getting real knowledge, which are principal materials helping them in pursuing their career in long-terms or even just earning enough money to pay for daily fees. However, one of the elements determining an employer’s recruitment is that the grades reflect study result and knowledge level of an interviewee. While before all of these standards depend on student’s studying ability, nowadays, it depends on the professors. The justification making them do it is that they want to have extra income beside the stable salary. Professors would normally choose to co-operate with companies that provide sources or documents related to the subject. While professors suggest their students getting ideas/documents from these companies, the companies would give back commission when there are students paying for their service/products. Or in another way professors would indirectly tell students who want to improve their grades to come to their private office/house, where is more secretive to take bribes. This phenomenon is more popular in Vietnam, where the difference between diploma and degree determines a person’s salary. It is important that the professors should have a deeper thinking about country’s long-term benefits instead of selfishly putting their benefits on top. 

On the other hand, although the breakthrough of modern technology has many positive advantages that help people easily deal with struggles in aspects of life, it also gives a hand in making academic dishonesty become popular than ever before. Students take advantage of advanced gadgets’ strong points to carry out cheating actions. Providing information in seconds makes students become lazier in preparing/reviewing their knowledge before tests. In the article “Technology is making it easy to cheat” of Mohamed Salem, he also demonstrated how students of WSU Voiland College of Engineering – a high prestige college, work corporately to cheat on tests via advanced gadgets and applications go along with it. They hire overseas teaching assistant to resolve their test’s problems online. One of the students would take a picture of the test and send it to the assistant through the application through their phone called “Whatsapp chat messenger”. In order to avoid being suspected, they would sit far from the others but added in the same group chat. There is no denial that the existence of modern technology is making the quality of education decreased significantly. 

In order to eliminate academic dishonesty completely from school environment, the leaders of schools/colleges should appropriately establish more strict disciplines. If there is any violation, in stead of expelling students from school or giving fail grade immediately, they should apply punishments that also bring moral lesson to students in a reality manner. For instance, after a large number of students of University of Regina are suspected for their cheating action in law and moral classes, CBC News has asked several schools in Regina and Saskatoon for their punishments on the students who utilize other person’s work as their own. While Regina Public Schools would give failing grade or class depending on the level of students’ offence, Regina Catholic Schools would give punishment to student base on case, student’s age and their understanding of wrong doing. Whereas, Saskatoon Public Schools want their students not only can complete the tests to achieve the outcome but also have a learning about their mistake. Proper penalty would make students realize that studying leads to their life success, not a compulsory duty. 

In conclusion, it is no exaggeration to claim that immoral professors and the development of modern technology have caused increasingly spreading widely in every corner and it is highly recommended that not only the related authorities but also leaders of schools need to find appropriate methods to prevent this controversially outstanding issue before it becomes out of control or leaves unsolvable consequences.