Cheating students at Rangsit University blacklisted

Rangsit University vice-rector Nares Pantaratorn shows a smartwatch with the answers of a subject to the media on Monday. One of the two pairs of camera-equipped glasses are also seen on the right. (Photo by Pongpat Wongyala)

Three students cheating on entrance examinations will be banned from a re-sit as their names will be blacklisted by Rangsit University on Monday while the school is gathering information to crack down on the network behind the foul play.

Rector Arthit Ourairat said on Monday the three students caught red-handed while cheating on the university-organised direct admission tests for College of Medicine, and Faculties of Dental Medicine and Pharmacy will not be allowed to retake the exams for May 31 and June 1.

"The university has put the three students on the blacklist and they won't be able to apply for seats with us again. I cannot say whether they will be allowed to take exams at other universities," he told reporters.

The university in Muang district in Pathum Thani found the three using hi-tech devices to cheat on the tests. Their smartwatches had answers written in a code sent from a private tutorial institution or probably more than one.

Proxies wearing camera-equipped glasses were sent to take the exams. After filming the exam sheets by the camera, the gang members left the test centre with the information. Another person waiting outside downloaded the tests to a computer and emailed them to one or more tutorial schools. They sent the answers back to the students on their smartwatches.

All test supervisors were alerted on Saturday when the university seized one smartwatch in the morning session and another in the afternoon. The third watch and two glasses were seized on Sunday.

The university found that the proxies were students paid to take the exams, RSU vice-rector Nares Pantaratorn said, but did not give details who they were. They recorded the tests and left the rooms 45 minutes after the tests began, he said.

A test for each subject takes three hours and all students must stay in the room for at least 45 minutes.

One of the cheating students admitted to paying 50,000 baht as a deposit and another 800,000 baht if they passed the tests.

The university is trying to find out whether the three students paid the same network to get the answers.

Dr Arthit exposed the scam on his Facebook page on Sunday, saying he was trying to protect the dignity of his university.

RSU has lodged a complaint with police at Pak Khlong Rangsit station and gave them a pair of the glasses and one smartwatch as evidence. Three students are ordered to meet investigators on Tuesday.

Pak Khlong Rangsit police chief Pol Col Kornwat Hanpradit said police could not take legal action on the three students as they broke only university rules.

Their meeting with police on Tuesday, however, would give the university more clues on the network behind the cheating. Dr Arthit vowed to take legal action by filing civil and criminal charges on all gang members once the university has enough evidence for police to crack them down.