Let's Say "No" to Cheating

  

Have you ever cheated when you are doing an examination ? How do you feel ?  Comfortable? guilty?  or so-so?  Then, how about your scores? Is it higher than your smartest friend’s score? Or Is it higher than your friend’s score whom you have cheated from? Perhaps, most of students in this world assuredly ever do cheating in the quizzes, tests or examinations. According to Webster dictionary, cheating is an easy way  to Gain an advantage over or deprive of something by using unfair or deceitful methods . It is act dishonestly or unfairly in order to gain an advantage especially in examinations.  Nowadays ,cheating has become a common habit among the students. They always have many ways  to do cheating in every  examinations which  is the purpose  is to get good grades in the examinations. Although  students have many ways of cheating to get good grades in the exam, it is prohibited by religious teaching and school regulation.

    There are many ways of cheating. The students usually practice that while they are doing an examination. First, by looking at other student’s answer sheet.  It is a usual way of cheating which is done by many students do that because it is simple, easy, and  small possibility of being detected by proctors. Second, by opening textbooks or notes. Actually cheating by opening textbooks is an easy way, but it is very risky because of bigger possibility of being detected by proctors. Third, by writing some notes or formulas in a very small piece of paper. Oftentimes, many students who are not ready to do the examination write some notes or formulas in a very small piece of paper because of the difficulty to remember the materials and the formulas. Thus, many students do the third way of cheating. The possibility of being detected is relatively small. Fourth , using cell phone to cheat. Sometimes, students use their phone to do cheating. They can capture some materials on book with the phone’s camera. So that, they should not use book if they want to do cheating. It is more practical than using the book. The other way of cheating is by browsing internet with cell phone . Browsing is the best way to cheating. Simply by typing certain keywords all of the required answer  will appear and the possibility of  being detected is  not too big.

   Occasionally, not only the teachers but also student’s parents often inquire the reason why  students do cheating during the examinations .  Apparently, there are three reasons why students do cheating. Lack of supervision during the exam is the first reason. The proctors oversee the students like giving the cold shoulder. It makes students can cheat successfully during the exam. Second , lack of confidence with their ability. Sometimes students think that they can not do well on a test, either because they are not smart enough, or they lack some skills they need. It creates a feeling that they will fail, and their only option to do well is to cheat. Third, unpreparedness when facing the exam. Students often feel like not ready to face the exam. They often procrastinate their time to study, so that when the d-day of the exam  is coming , they are not ready, and it makes they do cheating during the exam. Yet, the laziness and the difficulty of materials can also be the causes why students  not ready when facing the exam.

    In Addition, religious teaching  prohibit  to do cheating. In Islam, Cheating is sinful. Cheating is one of the major evils of the society. Although cheating sounds something very small, but the effect it leaves cannot be described. Allah dislikes cheating and the people who do it. In the Glorious Quran, Allah has warned in Surah Al-Mutafiin 83:1 that those who indulge in cheating of dire consequences.. Besides that, Islam teach us to be honest, because with honesty , Allah will reward the Heaven  (Quran Surah Al Araf 7:85 and  Surah Al Baqarah 2:9.)

    Like religious teaching especially in Islam, school regulations also prohibit students to do cheating.  The headmaster and the teachers are  mutually working together to handle  cheating problem by making rule to not do cheating during the examinations. If the students disobey that rule,  they will get punishment from school. The punishment like, deduction of scores when students are caught cheating in the examinations. Another punishment ,students will be labeled as cheaters. Not only the students who are cheating, but also their parents will really feel shameful. Of course,  it will cause emotional pressure to the students who do cheating because they get some mockery from their friends even their teacher. 

    To sum up, students have many ways of cheating to get good grades in the exam. Yet, religious teaching and school regulation prohibit the students to do cheating during the exams. It is better if the students do their examinations without cheating. Why? Because while they do the examinations without cheating, they can know their capability during the learning process, they will safely from deduction of scores and also safely from bad label as cheaters. Try to not procrastinate time to study, throw away the laziness and believe that God is always keep watching on us whenever we are, wherever we are. Those are the key to train ourselves to not cheating.  So ? say no to cheating.

 By : Desya Nadya Irawan