Romanian Education Minister considers body searches for exam cheaters after warrant dispute

Romania's Minister of Education, Mihai Dimian, is contemplating the authorization of body searches for students suspected of academic dishonesty, particularly in the wake of an incident involving the Baccalaureate exam.

The controversy arose when a high school student in Alba County, suspected of using a small electronic earpiece to receive answers during the exam, refused a search by a police officer. The student reportedly invoked their rights, stating, "Sir, you cannot touch me unless you have a warrant."

Minister Dimian acknowledged that current national examination methodologies permit the verification of students suspected of fraud. However, he indicated that if these measures are insufficient, the Ministry might seek cooperation with prosecutors to obtain court-issued search warrants. "If, based on experiences, more is needed, then we can cooperate directly with the prosecution to issue body search warrants, in which case the consequences for the person would not only be those mentioned in our examination methodology but also criminal in nature," the minister commented on Facebook.

The head of the Alba County School Inspectorate, Cornel Sandu, highlighted that cheating on exams has become a growing problem, exacerbated by increasingly smaller and harder-to-detect electronic devices. He noted that while commission members conduct checks, identifying all attempts at fraud remains nearly impossible. "Every year, we eliminate candidates who are found with various devices. We eliminate about 10% of what is eliminated nationwide. This is a phenomenon we knew was happening," Sandu stated, adding that localized jamming solutions might be considered.

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În fiecare an, noi eliminăm candidați pe care-i găsim cu diverse dispozitive. Noi eliminăm undeva cam 10% din cât se elimină în ţară. (...) Este un fenomen pe care-l ştiam că se întâmplă.