Algeria Shuts down Internet to Curb High School Exam Cheating

Algeria shut down internet nationwide to prevent high school students from cheating, after previous massive leaks cast doubt on the credibility of the national education system.

Under such an extreme measure, internet will be disabled in the whole country for two hours of each morning as students sit for baccalaureate tests between June 20 and 25.

Facebook however will be blocked completely for the whole period, authorities said.

In 2017, the country tried shutting down Facebook only but cheating was still taking place, hence the drastic decision to cut the internet completely.

The move aims at preventing cheating pupils from leaking and sharing widely on social media, as has been the case in the last two years.

State-owned telecommunications provider Algeria Telecom said the shutdown was being enforced “in compliance with instructions from the government, aimed at ensuring the high school diploma tests run smoothly”.