Sixteen people who sat entrance examinations for CPC Corp, Taiwan (CPC, 台灣中油) last year were found to have cheated on the test and have been dismissed from their posts with immediate effect, the firm said yesterday.
CPC said that claims were made as early as last year that people had cheated on the exam.
It launched an internal investigation this year, and with the results supporting the claims, it turned the case over to the Agency Against Corruption in February, CPC said.
Photo: CNA
One employee admitted to hiring someone to take their place in the exam and has resigned, CPC said.
The person who took the test for the dismissed employee worked for CPC as well. He received two major demerits and was removed from his post, CPC said.
Internal investigations found three more employees who admitted to collaborating with exam cheating groups that had arranged people to take the test in their place, CPC Corp said, adding that the three were fired.
Photo: Huang Pei-chun, Taipei Times
Those suspected of having cheated were asked to resit the exam, with 16 scoring lower than last year, it said. One scored 26.25 on the retest, compared with 96.75 last year.
While some denied cheating, their inability to answer basic questions showed they could not meet the needs of the company, CPC Corp said, adding that their contracts were terminated on March 21.
Meanwhile, a source said that he recognized an alleged leader of an exam cheating organization outside the building where state-run Taiwan Power Co (Taipower, 台電) entrance exams were being conducted on July 15.
The source said Chen Wen-chi (陳文棋) approached several of those who were taking the exam.
The source called CPC Corp and the police.
CPC Corp said it informed Taipower immediately and five people approached by Chen were detained by the Kaohsiung Police Department for questioning.
Chen’s organization is suspected of helping people cheat on entrance exams for universities, Bank of Taiwan (臺灣銀行), China Steel Corp (中鋼) and Chunghwa Telecom Co (中華電信), CPC said.
As the exams are not controlled by the Examination Yuan, cheaters cannot be prosecuted according to Article 137 of the Criminal Code, which might be why cheating groups are so bold in offering their services for the Taipower exams, CPC said.
To help prevent further cheating, CPC said it would ask exam takers to provide recent photographs of themselves and would change the exam format to include more written answers.
Measures to prevent the use of communication devices would be considered at exam centers and metal detectors might be installed to prevent such devices being taken into exams, it said.
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