About 93,456 Cambodian high school students on Monday took the annual national high school graduation exams, which is a prerequisite for students to pursue their studies in a university level.
"A total of 93,456 high school students are taking the exams at 154 centers with 3,779 rooms throughout the country," said a statement from the Ministry of Education, adding that the exams will last for two days.
Generally, days prior to the exams, some students seek cheat sheets, while others go to Buddhist pagodas in order to get an anointment from monks in hope to pass the exams.
Education Minister Hang Chuon Naron said the ministry has taken strict measures to prevent cheating during the exams in order to restore confidence in the education system.
"The ministry has taken measures to ensure that there is no cheating during the exams," he said. "We want to change students' habits from cheating to writing with their own knowledge on the answer sheets."
In addition to proctors, the Anti-Corruption Unit has deployed more than 3,000 volunteers to oversee the two-day exams.
There was no leakage of any one of the test's seven subjects, the minister said, adding calculators, cell phones and other electronic devices were banned from the exam rooms.
The exam results will be announced on Aug. 29 and 30.
In Cambodia, high school graduates who obtained satisfactory scores in high school graduate exams are eligible to apply for the colleges or universities they prefer, either private or national.
Students who failed to pursue their college studies will turn to the job markets or vocational schools.