Students’ ‘anti-cheating hats’ during exams in the Philippines go viral

October 19, 2022

University students in the Philippines went viral for creating their own “anti-cheating hats” and wearing them during examinations.

Students at Bicol University College of Engineering in Legazpi City, Bicol, were tasked to design their own hats to prevent themselves from cheating during their midterm exams.

Mary Joy Mandane-Ortiz, a faculty member of the university, took inspiration from a Thai university that previously sparked backlash for requiring its students to wear horse blinder-like contraptions on their heads to prevent cheating.

Ortiz decided to give her students creative freedom by asking them to engineer their own solutions to avoid cheating by making individual hats.

The students took the assignment seriously, resulting in creative hats that have garnered national and international attention. Ortiz took photos of her students and shared them on Facebook on Monday. The posts have since been shared by thousands of Facebook users and many local media outlets.

The students’ hats varied in design and inspiration, and included a Spartan helmet, a Hokage headdress from “Naruto,” a cardboard Minion head and a Jollibee mask, among others. Other students were also pictured using household items, such as clothes hangers, egg crates and even underwear.

“Again, the Anti-cheating Hat is a reminder to all not to cheat, but to study well,” Ortiz wrote on Facebook. “Let us value integrity and honesty.”

“I really love and [I’m] proud of my students because their engineering midterm exams can be pressuring and stressful, yet they managed to add some color and fun,” Ortiz added. “Thank you very much, students. You make me proud.”

Featured Image via Mandane-Ortiz R Mary Joy

Share this Article