Egypt probe into exam paper leak

By Magdi Abdelhadi
BBC News, Cairo

Egypt has launched an investigation into how secondary school final exam papers were leaked to students.

The incident has outraged the public and prompted a debate in parliament. The police have made some arrests, and are still chasing more suspects.

Public confidence in the exam system has been further undermined by reports of organised cheating.

Hundreds of thousands of students take the exam each year, and their future is largely determined by the test results.

'Erosion of confidence'

Families in Egypt spend millions of dollars in private tuition fees to ensure that their children get the grades required to qualify for university studies.

That explains why there was a public outrage when the news emerged that exam papers were leaked to some students in the province of Minya, south of the capital Cairo.

But many believe the problem is more widespread than what has so far come to light.

In one incident, the police were summoned to prevent relatives from smuggling answers to students inside exam halls.

Incidents like these are likely to reignite debate about the general decline in standards and erosion of public confidence in the machinery of the state under President Hosni Mubarak, who has ruled the country for nearly three decades.