THE DEPARTMENT of Education reiterated that it will not tolerate cheating because it “cannot be justified” under any circumstances.

DepEd Undersecretary Diosdado San Antonio issued a memorandum following reports on the discovery of a Facebook group named “Online Kopyahan,” where students shared answers to their modules and other learning resources.

The online group allegedly had over 600,000 members at one point.

“In view of the most recent controversy on cheating as publicized via Facebook, it must be emphasized that DepEd does not and will not tolerate any form of academic dishonesty,” San Antonio said.

The DepEd emphasized that academic honesty is a “foundational element of learning and fundamental principle of all academic institutions.”

“Regardless of the designs of the SLMs and the extent of freedom in the online space, cheating cannot be justified under any circumstance,” San Antonio stressed.