Vietnam expands inquiry into high school exam cheating

Hanoi (VNA) – Further inspections are being carried out into abnormal results of the national high school examination in the mountainous provinces of Lang Son and Son La.

Following the cheating scandal in Ha Giang province, Minister of Education and Training Phung Xuan Nha recently set up two working groups under the steering board of the national high school examination to clarify unusually high scores achieved by many test-takers in the two localities.

In Son La province, average scores for maths and physics were 3.43 and 4.03, lower than the national average of 4.88 and 4.96, respectively. However, 30 test-takers achieved nine points and above for maths test, and 13 students scored nine out of 10 or higher for the physics exam.

Also, inspectors from the education sector are investigating an incident in Lang Son province when 35 local students scored unusually high in maths, literature and history, ranging from 8 to 8.75 each.

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc also ordered the Ministry of Public Security to open an investigation into the recent high school exam scandal in Ha Giang province.

Vu Trong Luong, Deputy Chief of the Examination and Quality Management Division under the provincial Department of Education and Training, has been arraigned for his role in the scandal.

The education ministry reported the shocking news at a press conference on July 17, while also confirming more than 300 test results of 114 students would be adjusted.

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

The inspection revealed that except the literature test, all eight others which were taken as multiple-choice test showed signs of cheating.

A total of 102 maths test results were adjusted, as were 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.

The result of the national high school examination has been used for four years now to determine if a student graduates from high school and gets into their dream university or not.

Since 2017, all tests except literature have been multiple choice. In 2018, the education ministry tightened the exam’s security by sealing bags of answer sheets with signatures of supervisors and universities’ representatives.

The last examination was taken by 5,400 Ha Giang students. In the top 11 students nationwide with highest scores, the province contributed three, while 65 students scored nine or higher in the physics test. The abnormal result triggered social uproar.-VNA