KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA: There are people offering to sell questions that will purportedly appear in the coming public examinations.

However, Education Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein has advised students not to fall for it and assured parents that the ministry was doing its best to ensure that there is no leakage of exam questions.

"Some cases have been investigated and found to be untrue while others were mere coincidence," he said when commenting on a report of students paying for tips on exam questions.

Hishammuddin said the ministry's Private Education Division would monitor the situation.

"Those who say they can actually anticipate or know what is going to come out are defrauding the public and exploiting their desperation as the date of the examination draws closer," he said, adding that some parents were willing to pay for the tips.

Hishammuddin said the reforms to the new primary school curriculum to be implemented by 2010 would place less emphasis on exams and education would be looked at a more holistic way.

"The plan is to have more schools-based assessment and hopefully this means parents and students will not rely so much on spotting questions or going for tuition," he told reporters when presenting "expandable mobile schools" to the Myanmar Children?s Cyclone Appeal 2008.

On another matter, Hishammuddin said the ministry was building classrooms on a cabin format for rural areas.

"Each cabin costs RM370,000 (S$155,733) and comprises two classrooms with electrical wiring and toilets. It is built with emphasis on natural light and circulation," he said.

On the debate between the contenders of the Umno Youth chief post, Hishammuddin, who is current chief of the wing, said the objective of the debate should be only to introduce themselves.

"But if it is a different objective, then I want to remind them that it must be in line with the top leadership," he said.

Khairy Jamaluddin and Datuk Seri Dr Khir Toyo have agreed to take part in the debate while Datuk Mukhriz Mahathir has declined.

Umno supreme council member Datuk Seri Mohd Khaled Nordin said any debate should be done behind closed doors.