Kuwaiti authorities arrest education ministry staff part of exam cheat network

Authorities in Kuwait have arrested four members of a network that helped hundreds of high school students cheat in their exams, according to local media reports.

Three of the four arrested were Ministry of Education employees who were Kuwaiti citizens, the Al-Jarida newspaper reported, citing security sources.

The fourth was an expatriate of Syrian nationality who worked as a sales representative, the newspaper said.

The network reportedly charged the high school students 150 Kuwaiti dinars ($490) per subject for its help.

They leaked exam questions and answers through 'private groups' and supplied students with earphones connected to the phones of network members, who provided them with answers on the day of the test.

Authorities became suspicious when they noticed repeated money transfers to the Syrian sales representative's bank account, which led to the discovery of the network, and their subsequent arrest, Al-Jarida reported.

Some 400 students used the network's services, the report said, citing 'preliminary investigations'.

The ministries of education and interior are reportedly conducting further probes into the network.