50 arrested in mass exam leak in Algeria

Fifty people have been arrested in Algeria on suspicion of leaking school exam papers.

Education officials, teachers and heads of national exam centres were amongst those arrested. Authorities have also placed travel bans on 200 people and proposed internet blackouts during their country-wide investigation.

Of the 800,000 students who sat the baccalaureate exams, some 300,000 will be forced to retake them on 19 June.

According to a police statement, the cybercrime investigators have identified the individuals behind the leak on more than 13 social media pages. Algeria’s Minister of National Education, Nouria Benghebrit-Remaoun, publically broke down last week when she heard about the leak.

Emergency meetings were held with teaching unions as well as Prime Minister Abdelmalek Sellal to discuss the matter and propose new resit dates. Political parties have demanded the education minister resign.

Algeria was rocked by a similar scandal in 1992 which led to the resignation of then Education Minister Ahmed Ben Mohammed.