Police recommend charges in exam result manipulation case

Hoa Binh (VNS/VNA) - The Investigation Police Agency under the Ministry of Public Security has proposed the Supreme People’s Procuracy prosecute three people on charges of abusing their powers to manipulate students’ test results.

The proposal was made on March 11 after the agency concluded its investigation into cheating on the 2018 National High School Exam.

The accused include Nguyen Quang Vinh, 53, former head of the Division of Examination and Quality Management under the Hoa Binh Department of Education and Training; Nguyen Khac Tuan, 38, an official  from the same division; and Do Manh Tuan, 40, Vice Principal of the Lac Thuy district Boarding Secondary School and Boarding High School.

Investigators found that in early May last year, Vinh directed Tuan to modify some students’ multiple-choice tests before the answer sheets were sent to the Ministry of Education and Training (MoET).

They concluded that 140 test results of 56 students had been modified upward. The final marks had gaps ranging between 0.2 and 9.25 points. The maximum score in the test is 10.

Tuan told police that Vinh assigned him to make a list of students whose writing test scores should be increased.

A total 22 literature test results of 22 students were raised by between 1.25 and 4.75 points, according to the education ministry. However, the investigation body did not have enough evidence to reach a conclusion on the concerned individuals’ wrongdoings.

Do Manh Tuan admitted to police that he was paid 550 million VND (23,700 USD) to change the test results. Police are investigating who paid Tuan the money but the answer is not yet clear.

Public concern has been raised after the MoET announced the test results of all candidates nationwide on July 11 last year. The percentage of candidates who achieved a score of 9 points or more on their tests in some northern mountainous provinces including Ha Giang and Son La were unusually high.

Specifically, Ha Giang had 36 candidates with cumulative scores of 29 out of 30 – half of the number of students getting the highest score nationwide.

On July 14, in response to the abnormally high test results in the province, an inspection team led by Mai Van Trinh, head of the Authority of Examination and Quality Management under the MoET, started re-grading all the students’ answer sheets.

The inspection revealed that, except in the literature test, all eight other multiple-choice tests showed signs of cheating or score manipulation.

A total of 102 maths test results were adjusted, along with 85 in physics, 56 in chemistry, 52 in English, eight in biology, eight in history and three in geography.

Several students ended up with results more than 20 marks higher than they should have received. Some even ended up 29.95 marks better off.-VNS/VNA