The Ministry of Education (MoE) announced that recent reforms targeting exam cheating have begun to restore public trust in the education system. A key measure has been restructuring the assessment and examination system to address long-standing issues. Education Minister Berhanu Nega (Prof.) stressed that education is about acquiring knowledge, and certificates are simply a reflection of that. He warned that credentials obtained through cheating, fraud, or theft distort reality and harm society by fostering false competence. He noted that cheating has extended beyond students, with some adults justifying it as helping others from their area, reflecting a wider moral decline. Addressing such behaviour, he said, requires building integrity from the ground up and reinforcing that knowledge must be earned, not faked. According to the Minister, the reforms have led to positive behavioural shifts: students are now studying more, attending tutorials, and making better use of libraries. Teachers have become more engaged, school leaders are enforcing academic discipline, and regional education offices are moving away from exaggerated performance reporting. Berhanu noted that this year, over 600,000 students are expected to sit for the Grade 12 exam, both online and on paper an increase from last year.

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