Medical Students Caught Cheating In High-Tech Scheme Straight Out Of A Spy Movie

Rangsit University, a top Thai medical college, has caught students using spy cameras linked to wearable smartwatches to cheat during exams, in a plot straight out of a Mission: Impossible movie according to many social media users.

Three students used glasses with wireless cameras embedded in their frames to transmit images to a group of as yet unnamed people, who then sent the answers to the smartwatches. Rangsit University rector, Arthit Ourairat, posted pictures of the hi-tech cheating equipment on his Facebook page, announcing that the entrance exam in question had been cancelled after the plot was discovered.

“We want this to be known in public to make people aware that we must be careful, particularly for medical exams where there is high demand among students but not many vacancies,” Mr Arthit told the network.

How they did it

• Thai students caught sending images of exam questions to accomplices via spy glasses
• Accomplices relayed answers back to students’ smartwatches
• Students paid 800,000 baht ($31,000) each for equipment and answers

“The team did it in real-time,” Mr Arthit wrote.

Cheaters never prosper?

Medical degrees are highly sought after in Thailand, where doctors can make small fortunes in a private sector that has become one of the world’s treatment hubs. Yet despite more than a decade of impressive economic growth, Thailand’s education system is in dire need of reform with rote learning, long hours and poor international test scores still commonplace.

In the 2014 Programme for International Student Tests (PISA) rankings, which measures global educational standards, Thai students performed below the global average and much worse than students from the poorer country of Vietnam in subjects like maths and science. The PISA results indicate serious disparities, both between Bangkok students and those in other nations, as well as between students in Bangkok and Thai rural areas. In terms of equity in educational resource allocation, Thailand is near the bottom of countries participating in the PISA program with only Brazil, Mexico, Costa Rica, and Peru rated significantly lower.

Though a regional breakdown for Thailand has never been publicly reported in the media, a regional breakdown was reported in a technical document published by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and the ASEAN Secretariat in late 2013.

Critics say the kingdom’s high corruption levels and ongoing political instability has made deep-seated education reforms impossible over the last decade.

“Improving poor quality education was the most important step the kingdom could take to securing a better future, with one third of Thai 15-year-olds functionally illiterate – lacking the basic reading skills to manage their lives in the modern world.” as quoted last year by the World Bank.