A massive cheating scandal in the Ivy-League Harvard University which, in fact, is one of the most venerable institutions of learning in the world, revealed that more than half the students caught cheating in a take-home exam “may have inappropriately collaborated on answers, or plagiarised classmates’ responses”.
This kind of news might have the potential to rob us of our faith in humanity if not for the fact that it’s not unique in the human experience. Kids will be kids, no matter the upbringing or environment.
There is a positive spin to this, too, as at least Harvard had the academic integrity to punish the entire lot who cheated, no matter who they were or what their academic status with regard to scholarships and fees, which are among the highest in the world. Those implicated averred that the administration had used unfair practices to determine their guilt even as they asserted that similarities arose because they shared notes with classmates, a practice expressly encouraged by their professor.
Whether it is the peer pressure of being in a high-profile varsity or just sheer laziness in an age of easily available information, the fact remains that GenNext has a lot to learn. They had a choice. They chose to cheat. They were punished. There are important lessons in this for youth who should adopt an honour code voluntarily if they are to do well in life.