600 Indian students expelled for cheating on school exams

FILE – In this Wednesday, March 18, 2015 file photo, Indians climb the wall of a building to help students appearing in an examination in Hajipur, in the eastern Indian state of Bihar. Education authorities in eastern India say 600 high school students have been expelled after they were found to have cheated on pressure-packed 10th grade examinations.  AP Photo/Press Trust of India

PATNA, India — Education authorities in eastern India say 600 high school students have been expelled after they were found to have cheated on pressure-packed 10th grade examinations.

Officials said they were tightening security at high schools in Bihar state after television footage showed parents and friends of the students scaling the outer walls of school buildings to reach classrooms where exams were being held to pass along cheat sheets.

More than 1.4 million 10th graders are sitting for the test across the country. They face tremendous pressure because they must pass the exams to continue their education.