Minimizing leaks in board examinations

I was once so fascinated by the book of Norris entitled The Law Of Seamen. To me, the education it provided was important both to our archipelagic country and to a relevant field of endeavor on marine transportation that I studied the copious work with devoted attention. My readings led me to other similar treatises mainly of British and American authorship dwelling on the carriage of goods by sea. From my poring over such books, I examined our domestic shipping practices and talked lengthily with the leading practitioners of the trade. Eventually, I came up with a book which I felt attempted to fill a vacuum. I then called my little contribution to the academe "Marine Laws and Ship Business". There was indeed, a dearth of reading materials on the subject that my effort found its way to a number of classrooms in nautical colleges. I even got a late query from an American library asking if I found time to release a new edition.

My academic involvement in marine transportation brought me to helping graduates of the nautical course prepare for board examinations. By quirk of fate, few learned men with vast experience in navigation had then come home from their sea-bound jobs. We were attracted by a common magnet and out of that commonality of interest we collaborated in organizing a review class. Wow, there was money in the enterprise and we thought that we found a gold mine.

We all dreamed of creating an impact by notching board placers and parading high percentages of passing. But, we had to contend with the system. My collaborators got in contact with high-level authorities. To our surprise, instead of just knowing the intricacies of a successful review session, we learned more. We were informed that there were men who could do magic with the examination results. Of course, for a high fee! When our organization explored that feasibility with examinees, we also met many of them who would be just too willing to part with whatever expense if only they would be assured with passing marks. Anyway, our reviewees claimed that as soon as they would, by obtaining passing marks, get their ranks and find jobs, they would do everything to promote the industry.

No, don't look at me. I know it was, unfortunately, a sickening justification of an obnoxious means. At that time, our hands were tied and we had to dance the tango.

However, the promise of material wealth did not sidetrack our thought processes. My partners and I realized early that we could not continue with the promotion of the undesirable, (make it illegal), practice of fueling the manipulation of results. It was unfair to those who did not know how to find the correct contacts as it was unjust to eventual employers of manipulated board exam grades. So, we all agreed to resist the temptation to rake in huge material gains to the detriment of a major profession and alas, we, decided to halt the endeavor. Our first review class was our last. That was more than twenty years ago.

I speak of that experience in the light of what happened to the recent nursing board examination. The parallelism of corruption is vomiting. What distinguishes the present event lies in its wantonness. As it now begins to unravel, some high ranking officials of the Professional Regulations Commission somehow leaked test questions to review centers who, under the guise of final coaching allowed hundreds of examinees to read actual test questions and concomitant answers. And they were no longer whispered but shown on widescreens.

I believe that review centers are the key players. Funds are funneled thru them and they are the conduits of corruption. Disallow them and we tend to minimize the scale of fraud. As regards corrupt officials, they should be prosecuted to the hilt and the guilty parties shall, if only to demonstrate the gravity of their offense, be guillotined.