Cheaters prosper: corruption on the Nile.

• Author: Riggs, Mike
• Position: Citings - Brief article

EGYPTIAN secondary school students have it rough. Socializing with the opposite sex is discouraged, political and religious dissent is banned, and at the end of their school years they sit for the most intimidating and life-altering final exam in the region. A high score can set a poor student on the path to the upper class, and failing grades are perennially followed by suicides. As if the stresses of the test weren't bad enough, it now seems you can get arrested for speaking up about the rampant bribery and cheating it attracts.

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Security forces detained and interrogated Safwat Hassan, 17, after the proctor for his math final exam discovered that Hassan, who resides in the southern city of Luxor, had written on his test, "Those in charge are [like a] tyrant who rifles over cowards" Hassan, who comes from a poor household, said the message referred to his proctors, who he believed were accepting bribes...