HAVANA, Cuba (AP) — Eight people are under arrest in connection with a scandal involving the illicit sale of university entrance exams, Cuban authorities said yesterday after thousands of high school students were forced to retake the test.

The unnamed suspects include five teachers, a methodologist, an employee at the Ministry of Higher Education’s printer’s office and a person not linked to the education sector. There was no word on possible criminal charges, but prosecutors were collecting evidence to present to the courts.

“It has been confirmed… that the leaked materials were unscrupulously commercialised by the five teachers implicated, some of whom sold the exams while others reviewed the content with the students, charging for the service,” yesterday’s announcement said.

The investigation into the scandal has been a fixture in state media for weeks, and the announcement called it a “matter of great sensitivity”.

In a signal of how seriously officials are taking the case, the message was signed by three Cabinet ministries including the Interior ministry — the arm of Government that oversees policing and State security.

Education, which is universal and free, including the university level, is considered sacrosanct as one of the “pillars” of Fidel Castro’s 1959 revolution.

However, stories of teachers selling grades to augment their meagre salaries are relatively common, if not widely publicised. There have also been past incidents of final exams leaking out prior to the test day.

But this is the first time authorities have made such a fuss about it — apparently in hopes of discouraging others by making an object lesson of the suspects.

“The final results of (the investigation) will be made public in a timely manner, since such acts, which attack the prestige of our educational system, will never go unpunished and will always be repudiated by our teachers, parents and students,” the ministries’ note said.

Current President Raul Castro’s Government has waged a wider crackdown on corruption that has swept up dozens of Cuban officials and executives, as well as a number of foreign businesspeople.

Shortly after the nationwide exam was given early last month, rumours began circulating that the math, language and history sections had all been on sale beforehand for about US$60 per subject.

Authorities publicly acknowledged the scandal May 20, nullifying the results for thousands of students in Havana and obliging them to take a replacement test six days later.