The public has been stirred up by the news that dozens of students from 12D4 Class of Tran Phu High School, one of the best known schools in Hanoi, received higher marks for the physics exam paper after an adjustment by the teacher. 

Pham Duc Doanh, headmaster of Tran Phu School, explained that Do Van Thanh, the physics teacher, who adjusted the marks given previously to students, did this because of the ‘teacher’s good heart’.

A high school teacher in Hanoi said he understands Thanh’s behavior. “I myself also raise students’ marks sometimes,” he said. “If I had not done this, the students wouldn't be able to finish high school. Meanwhile, diploma is the ‘ticket’ for everyone to make his way in the world."

Many high school teachers are giving high marks to students or ‘fabricating’ school reports to help students enroll in universities.

There are many reasons for students to ask teachers to raise their marks and for teachers to give high marks.

Do Tan Ngoc, a high school teacher, in his article on Nguoi Lao Dong, commented that parents want high marks for their children to show off to colleagues. Twelfth graders will find it easier to enroll in universities if they have good records.

Meanwhile, teachers want to give high marks to students because high marks show good teaching capability. 

This is a manifestation of the so-called ‘achievement disease’. Educators adjust the method of marking exam papers, giving questions and answers to students before the exams and ‘fabricating’ good marks for students.

Phan Doan Thai, deputy director of the Binh Thuan provincial education department, commented that many parents and students want high marks to save face. 

“They just think about marks and what schools to enroll in, but don’t think about what they will do after finishing school,” he said.

Also because of face, parents want their children to continue studying at high school after finishing secondary school instead of vocational school. “

"When I was informed that only 75 percent of secondary school graduates would be admitted to high school, high ranking officials showed their disagreement with the plan,” he said.

Meanwhile, Nguyen Dinh Phung, headmaster of Chu Van An High School in An Giang province, noted that changes in the enrolment policies applied in the last few years have affected education quality.

“Universities can enroll students based on their achievements at high schools instead of requiring students to attend school entrance exams. And students’ marks have obviously become higher,” Phung said.

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