Bac 2011 - The Leak(s)

Looks like I spoke too soon in my last post.  TF1 is reporting that parts of the English and Physics exams for S students were also leaked via SMS.  See the photos here on RTL.

If that weren't enough my daughter is glued to Facebook right now because her friends are reporting that there are suspicions about other exams for the ES and Literature students (my daughter falls into the latter group).

We'll see how this plays out.  For years I have heard very cynical stories from some of my friends and family here about isolated cases of cheating but I never heard anything that led me to believe that anyone questioned the overall fairness of these exams and the security and integrity of the system itself.

Was it because it was nearly impossible to aid and abet cheating in such a grand manner in the era before cellphones and internet?   Was it because past incidents truly were so rare and isolated that one could be nearly certain that the overall process was just and fair?  Or was it because we didn't have social media then and it was possible to preserve the illusion of fairness by suppressing information that was in everyone's interest not to know?

If the rumors pan out, (and for my daughter's sake I sincerely hope they do not) this will be a scandal of monumental proportions.  Equality (as in Liberty, Equality, Fraternity) is a fundamental and, in my opinion, highly admirable principle of this Republic.   This principle is instantiated in the education system where merit is what gets a student a good grade and entry into a good school - not social position, or money or inside information. If there truly is evidence to the contrary, I suspect that would really shake the foundations of this nation.