The minister made the statement on July 24 following score manipulation scandals in the northern provinces of Ha Giang and Son La. 

He said the ministry will improve the quality of test questions to better serve both purposes of the examination which are to determine whether students can graduate from high schools and enter colleges and universities. 

At the same time, the ministry will finalise the grading process, ensuring honesty and objectivity of the exam results, the minister stressed. 

According to the official, after detecting abnormal results of the exam in Ha Giang and Son La, the ministry immediately dispatched working groups to the localities to investigate. 

“Giving justice to students and regaining public trust is what the ministry must do,” he stressed, adding that the ministry has worked with the highest determination in recent days. 

Nha said the ministry is resolved to strictly handle wrongdoings in Ha Giang and Son La provinces in line with exam and legal regulations. 

The Ha Giang police have launched criminal proceedings in the case and examiners involved in the cheating, he said, asking the localities to dismiss them from the educational sector. 

The last examination was taken by 5,400 Ha Giang students. Of the 11 students with the highest scores nationwide, the province contributed three, with another 65 students scoring nine or higher in the physics test. The abnormal result caused many to question the results, as the province does not typically perform so well.

Inspections revealed that 330 multiple-choice tests of 114 students in Ha Giang were adjusted up by more than 1.0 points each.

Son La had more than 10,300 students participate in the national high school graduation exam this year with the average score of 4.21, the lowest in the country. The rate of students in Son La achieving nine points or more in maths and physics, however, outnumbered that of other localities that traditionally perform better.-VNA