A significant administrative error in the recent high school entrance exams in Thai Binh province has led to a major reshuffle in student admissions. This issue, uncovered during a recent inspection, has had far-reaching consequences, with 243 students losing their previously confirmed spots in high schools, while 252 others unexpectedly gained admission.

On August 20th, the People's Committee of Thai Binh province held a press conference to address the public and provide detailed information on the results of the 2024-2025 high school entrance exams following an in-depth inspection by provincial authorities.

During the conference, Pham Cong Dich, Deputy Chief Inspector of Thai Binh province and head of the inspection team, revealed alarming details.

He explained that during the anonymization process, only 0.71% of the essays were manually cross-checked for matching codes, far below the required minimum of 20%. This lapse was attributed to the negligence of the exam committee members who failed to fulfill their duties, including the Secretary-General and related personnel. Moreover, Nguyen Viet Hien, the Director of the Department of Education and Training in Thai Binh, along with the exam's Steering Committee Head, were found to have neglected their oversight responsibilities, failing to report the anomalies promptly to provincial authorities.

These errors resulted in 2,997 exam papers having mismatched codes, which in turn caused incorrect scores for 2,750 papers. Additionally, 49 exam papers had discrepancies in scoring and data entry, with 19 of these scores differing from those initially published. In total, 2,769 essay scores were found to be incorrect—1,368 of these had higher scores than originally published, while 1,401 had lower scores.

As a result, the total scores for 1,589 students were incorrect, with 781 students receiving higher total scores than published, and 808 receiving lower scores.

Following the re-matching and correction of the scores, the first-round admission thresholds were recalculated, leading to changes in four out of 12 specialized classes and 11 out of 29 general high schools. Consequently, 252 students who had initially failed were now marked as passing, including 15 who gained admission to specialized schools. Conversely, 243 students who had initially passed were moved to failing status, with 15 of these students losing their spots in specialized schools.

In response to these severe errors, the provincial inspection team has recommended that the Chairman of the People's Committee direct the Department of Education and Training to review the results after the inspection and proceed with the necessary steps to announce the accurate exam scores and admissions results.

The inspection team has been instructed to continue investigating the specific responsibilities of the organizations and individuals involved in the mistakes, leading to the code mismatches, incorrect scores, and the resulting admission errors. They are also to carry out further inspections as outlined in the decision.

Additionally, the Provincial Department of Home Affairs is tasked with recommending the extension of the suspension of Nguyen Viet Hien, the Director of the Department of Education and Training, to facilitate the ongoing investigation.

At the press conference, representatives from the Department of Education and Training admitted their mistakes, issued an apology to the students, parents, and residents of Thai Binh, and emphasized that these errors were not due to any intentional wrongdoing.

Vice Chairman of the People's Committee, Pham Van Nghiem, acknowledged that the errors had significantly impacted public opinion, the reputation of the education sector, and, most importantly, the students directly affected.

The provincial authorities have pledged to continue investigating all aspects of the exam's organization, with a focus on ensuring that the students' legitimate rights are protected.

Acknowledging leadership shortcomings, the provincial authorities apologized to the affected students and their families, assuring them that all necessary steps would be taken to rectify the situation and ensure the academic year begins smoothly. For the 243 students who were affected by the changes in their admission status, the province has requested understanding and cooperation, offering support for transferring to other schools with available places.

The Department of Education and Training will continue to address any concerns from parents and students, providing explanations and assistance to ensure that every student has the opportunity to continue their education.

Trong Tung