Is Cheating Malagasy Fomba?

We've just wrapped up exam week here at the lycee in Ambato, and sitting in a classroom for hours at a time trying to prevent cheating reminded me of something that happened while I was training the most recent group of volunteers here in Madagascar. I was leading a session on testing, and said that cheating is so bad here that it is a part of Malagasy fomba (culture or custom). The Malagasy Peace Corps staff member in the room vehemently disagreed, but I maintained my position. However, months on, I started wondering whether I was too harsh in my judgment.

To be sure, cheating is rampant here. About a fifth of the assignments turned in by one of my classes were identical to another one, and several others clearly plagarized theirs from outside sources. Despite being interspersed with students from different levels for exam week, five students sitting near each other came up with the same response for an example of an apology ("I am sorry I am forget you"). And my fellow English teaching Peace Corps Volunteers have much more glaring examples of this behavior.

To make matters worse, teachers don't seem to be as concerned about cheating as one might expect. Some exam proctors will leave the room unattended for a period of time, or simply not watch carefully to prevent cheating. Judging by the lack of effort of students to alter copied responses, I don't imagine many teachers here catch plagarism after the fact by comparing responses. (I should add that teachers at my school are overworked and underpaid.) All in all, there is what we would call in the US a "culture of cheating" in the schools of Madagascar.

Of course, cheating remains a problem in the Western world as well. Two German ministers have resigned in as many years after it was revealed that they plagarized their doctoral dissertations. News reports might warn us of a "cheating crisis" in American schools. But in the US, students overwhelmingly do not cheat, even when given the opportunity. (Those who disagree have not seen a Malagasy classroom.) Why is there such a difference? I have a couple of theories.

For one, the consequences of cheating are much greater in the US. Here in Madagascar, it is common for students to receive a simple point deduction for cheating in the rare case they are caught and punished. In the US, a zero grade on the assignment is generally the minumum acceptable punishment.

Second, individual achievement is valued much more in the US at large, whereas groups of people are almost always involved in doing work or solving problems in Madagascar. Bush taxi broke down? Expect at least two of your fellow passengers to get out and help fix it, even if all they do is watch and offer unhelpful advice. The group work phenomenon is so prevalent here that its seepage into the classroom on exam day is inevitable, with the upshot that Malagasy people are not learning to solve problems on their own. Coupled with a severe deficit in critical thinking skills, this has an extremely detrimental effect on Madagascar's intellectual capital.

So is cheating Malagasy fomba? Malagasy culture? While culture is important, focusing on it at the expense of looking at society as a whole leaves out a big part of the picture. Something may be inacceptable according to Malagasy culture, yet be just as widespread as rice is in Malagasy society. So if we use "culture" as our definition of fomba, it's quite possible that Malagasy fomba does not condone cheating. But if we consider fomba to be the general practices or customs of people within society, cheating is certainly a part of Malagasy fomba.

What does this mean for Madagascar? For one, the culture of cheating, whether or not it is a part of Malgasy culture, needs to be eliminated. This means stricter punishments, better enforcement, and most of all, a change in attitudes towards cheating. Children need to be taught to be ashamed of cheating and strive to be as honest in academics as they are in the rest of their lives.

But also, Malagasy people need to examine their culture, society, and fomba, and begin changing or leaving behind the parts that are detrimental to their development as individuals and as a country. I could have just as easily written this post about another problem that needs to be addressed here, such as alcoholism. And ultimately, it is up to Malagasy people themselves to solve such problems, though I hope that the rest of us can help out along the way. I know my fellow PCVs and I are doing our best. #End