BEIJING, June 3 (Xinhua) -- A total of 12.9 million Chinese students are set to sit this year's national college entrance exam, also known as the gaokao, starting June 7, the Ministry of Education announced on Wednesday.

This figure marks a slight drop from last year's number of 13.35 million participants.

The ministry said local authorities will be instructed to maintain a secure online environment for the exam and a safe, orderly environment around exam sites.

Special campaigns will be launched to crack down on the sale of cheating devices, exam impersonation, and irregular practices by exam-preparation and training institutions, the ministry said.

The ministry will also guide local authorities in preventing and combating high-tech cheating and actively promote the use of intelligent monitoring and inspection systems. ■