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One blunder after another for the 2017 edition of the baccalaureate exam. After potential leaks of subjects of physics-chemistry and Life/Earth Sciences (series S) at the end of May, it is the philosophy questions of the technological exams that have been leaked on the eve of the test. The ministry has reminded students that the new questions "do not change the conditions of the test", but some internet users confirm that they had already started to write their answers to the initial questions before the backup questions were given to them. As for the backups, they were broadcast on Twitter this Thursday morning almost an hour and fifteen too soon ...

the Ministry of Education has launched an inquiry into possible leaks of physics-chemistry and Life/Earth Sciences (SVT) questions for the scientific baccalaureate. The leaks reportedly involved experimental competency assessment questions for the section S, that is, organized practical workshops in physics and SVT. Until the close of the inquiry, the ministry is withholding comment on the exactitude and the extent of these "possible leaks of the evaluation materials", which were reported by a teacher.

A letter from the Digital Education Director authorizes the use by schools of the digital services of Google, Apple, Facebook or Amazon, much to the dismay of the CNIL and the unions. Marks, comments of teaching staff, attendance records ... What if companies or headhunters had such precious "behavioral" data on hand to assess their future recruits? This could be a way to differentiate between two resumes and begin true profiling for positions.

For a small fee, platforms provide university qualifications, from bachelor's to doctorate degrees. "We have seen this trend return over the past three years, even though sites from the early 2000s which sold fake diplomas had been gradually disappearing," acknowledges the founder of VerifDiploma, which verifies the authenticity of job candidates’ diplomas on behalf of Human resources services. Each year, his company checks 50,000 applications. Of these, 8% contain false diplomas.

Thanks to the introduction of a new biometric census system, education authorities discovered the presence of 47000 fictitious students in public and private universities in the capital Conakry. Thanks to this information, the government will able to better equip its universities and teaching staff, by making sure that funds are directed where they are most needed. The Minister of Higher Education has indicated that this process may also pave the way for the introduction of an automated university access system.

In South Africa, an incident at a school in Soweto revived the debate over false teacher qualifications. This week, a former primary school teacher stabbed a director who had suspended him. The teacher was dismissed after the school discovered, following a complaint from parents, that he had lied about his qualifications and had no diploma. According to the South African Council of Educators, dozens or even hundreds of teachers lie about their qualifications.

The national education minister has stated that a number of measures will be put in place in order to fight fraud during the next baccalaureate test cycle, including securing the online site of the National Examinations and Competitive Examination Office (ONEC), and preparing back-up questions. The minister emphasised the need to implement technical measures in order to adapt to developments in information technology and communication and respond to the challenges that arise as a result.

A professor in political economy at the world’s oldest university has more or less invited his students to copy. It is his way of speaking out against the impunity of certain of his colleagues accused of plagiarism. He announced “I will not be checking to see if you have copied your work as I cannot, in good conscience, ask you to respect rules that the University of Bologna allows it’s professors to violate.”

This is what is provided in a law passed last autumn to combat endemic levels of cheating during the gaokao, china’s national exam which determines the future career of its candidates. Following the adoption of the law, student caught or accused of cheating can face seven years imprisonment in a state gaol. A law voted in last autumn, also makes cheating a crime. This is why, last Tuesday 7 June, the day of the goakao, the Chinese authorities ordered the deployment of 768 police officers, tasked with supervising the country’s 96 exam centres.

Copying is stealing. This anti-plagiarism adage is at the heart of a case which has shaken the small world of French medievalists for the last two years. Today the case has come back with a new demonstration of plagiarist behaviour which is forcing universities and scientific communities to be face up to their responsibilities. And more generally, raises the question of whether the university system as a whole has the ability to tackle this issue, over and above the case in question.