KRG will implement short internet blackouts to prevent exam cheating 

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) will enforce four-hour internet blackouts across the Kurdistan Region to prevent cheating during the high school final examinations set to commence Monday. 

Internet access will be cut from 6:30 am until 10:30 am local time every Monday and Thursday during the eight days of examinations, according to a statement from the government. 

“For the sake of protecting the public interest and prevent the phenomena (cheating),” the government enforces the ban annually, read the statement. 

Since the internet is the primary method used for cheating in exams, the government reasoned that briefly cutting access would markedly reduce any potential cheating. 

The 12th-grade final examination scores are the main determinants for student admissions into universities and colleges. 

Over 100,000 students are expected to take their final exams in eight subjects across the Kurdistan Region. The tests are conducted twice a week on Mondays and Thursdays. 

Per the Kurdish Ministry of Education decree, all electronic devices are prohibited inside the exam halls. 

The Iraqi government also imposes internet blackouts during exam season to prevent cheating, as do a number of other Middle Eastern countries during exam times. 

Iraqi education authorities recently postponed math exams for 9th graders after the examination questions were leaked. Three officials who allegedly played a role in the crime were later arrested.