The investigation bureau of the Ha Giang police on July 23 began criminal proceedings against and issued a three-month temporary detention warrant for Chief of the local Examination and Quality Management Division Nguyen Thanh Hoai for his involvement in the recent high school exam scandal in the northern mountainous province.

The investigation bureau of the Ha Giang police on July 23 began criminal proceedings against and issued a three-month temporary detention warrant for Chief of the local Examination and Quality Management Division Nguyen Thanh Hoai for his involvement in the recent high school exam scandal in the northern mountainous province

Hoai, born in 1969 in Vi Xuyen district, is charged with “abusing position and power while on duty”.

The initial investigation showed that Hoai gave the key of the room where the multiple-choice test sheets were kept to Vu Trong Luong, Deputy Chief of the division, which violated the national high school exam regulations.

Luong, born in 1978, was previously arrested for his role in the scandal. Luong took advantage of his position and power to intervene in the results of 330 multiple-choice test sheets of 114 students in Ha Giang which were adjusted upwards of over one point each.

Several students ended up with results more than 20 marks higher than they should have got. Some even enjoyed 29.95 marks better off.

The act of raising examinees’ scores has seriously violated exam regulations.

Further investigation into the scandal is underway.

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 triggered many to question the region’s authenticity.

Meanwhile in the northern province of Son La, five people involved in the high school exam fraud in the northern province of Son La have been identified.

Head of the Authority of Examination and Quality Management Mai Van Trinh told the information to reporters in Son La on July 23.

One of the five is Tran Xuan Yen, who held multiple roles as Vice Director of the provincial Department of Education and Training, member of the exam steering board, Vice Chairman of the provincial exam board, standing deputy head of the test marking board, and head of the multiple-choice test marking group.

The other four include Nguyen Thi Hong Nga, an official at the local authority of examination and quality management; Cam Thi Bun Son, an official at the provincial Department of Education and Training, and member of the multiple-choice test marking group; Dang Huu Thuy, Vice Rector of To Hieu High School, and member of the multiple-choice test marking group; and Lo Van Huynh, deputy head of the local authority of examination and quality management, member of the exam steering board, and head of the secretariat board.

In Son La province, the 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 students achieved nine out of 10 points and above for the maths test, and 13 students scored nine points or higher in the physics exam.

In the Mekong Delta province of Ben Tre, Director of the provincial Department of Education and Training Le Ngoc Buu announced that the remarked test results made by the education ministry’s working group were the same as those by the local high school exam board.

Some 10,363 students in the province passed the national high school examination, accounting for 98.47 percent of the total. 

According to the Ministry of Education and Training, the remarked test results of the northern province of Hoa Binh made by the education ministry’s working group were also the same as those by the local high school exam board.

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

Since 2017, all tests except in literature have been multiple choice. In 2018, the education ministry tightened exam security by requiring sealed bags of answer sheets, signed by relevant supervisors and university representatives.–VNA