Minister of Education and Training Phung Xuan Nha has emphasised the acceleration of clarifying abnormal results of the national high school examination in the northern mountainous provinces Ha Giang, Son La and Lang Son.

Speaking at a meeting on July 19, Nha stressed that every person found to have violated regulations would be strictly punished, saying the Ha Giang scandal is a ‘wake-up call’ to all test organisers.

He added that over the past four years, the new format of the high school examination has been improved in many aspects, helping reduce pressure and save time and costs for students, their families and the whole of society.

Although technical aspects of the exam have been getting better, the “human factor is still the decisive element.”

“If the people involved in the process are not of pure integrity, then such unfortunate incidents could still happen no matter how modern the grading system has become,” the minister said.

“We are resolved to give justice to students and regain public trust in the exam,” he noted. 

The results of the national high school examination, which determine whether students can enter universities and were released on July 11, showed suspicious signs as the rate of good scores in Ha Giang was unusually high compared with previous years and other localities that traditionally do better.

On July 13, the Authority of Examination and Quality Management under the Ministry of Education and Training (MoET) decided to set up an inspection team.

The inspection revealed that 330 multiple-choice tests of 114 students in Ha Giang were adjusted up by more than 1.0 points each. One examiner has confessed his role in the cheating scandal.

The investigation bureau of the Ha Giang police on July 19 started criminal proceedings into the exam cheating scandal in the province.

On July 18, Nha also established two inspection teams to clarify test results in Son La and Lang Son. 

On July 19, the inspection team led by Mai Van Trinh, head of the Authority of Examination and Quality Management, had a working session with representatives from the Son La provincial Department of Education and Training.

The test sheets were re-graded on July 19 night and the results are expected to be announced soon. 

According to statistics, Son La recorded the lowest average score for all six subjects in the high school examination. However, the rate of students scoring nine and above in the maths and physics tests was much higher than other localities with a history of good scores. -VNA