Illustrative image (Source: VNA)HoaBinh (VNS/VNA) - The Investigation Police Agency under the Ministryof Public Security has proposed the Supreme People’s Procuracy prosecute threepeople on charges of abusing their powers to manipulate students’ test results.
The proposal was made on March11 afterthe agency concluded its investigation into cheating on the 2018 National HighSchool Exam.
The accused include Nguyen Quang Vinh, 53, formerhead of the Division of Examination and Quality Management under the Hoa Binh Department of Educationand Training; Nguyen Khac Tuan, 38, an official from the same division; and Do Manh Tuan, 40, Vice Principal of the Lac Thuy district Boarding SecondarySchool and Boarding High School.
Investigators found that inearly May last year, Vinh directed Tuan to modify some students’multiple-choice tests before the answer sheets were sent to the Ministry ofEducation and Training (MoET).
They concluded that 140test results of 56 students had been modified upward. The final marks had gapsranging between 0.2 and 9.25 points. The maximum score in the test is 10.
Tuan told police that Vinhassigned him to make a list of students whose writing test scores should beincreased.
A total 22 literature testresults of 22 students were raised by between 1.25 and 4.75 points, accordingto the education ministry. However, the investigation body did not have enoughevidence to reach a conclusion on the concerned individuals’ wrongdoings.
Do Manh Tuan admitted to police thathe was paid 550 million VND (23,700 USD) to change the test results. Police are investigating who paid Tuan the money but the answeris not yet clear.
Public concern has beenraised after the MoET announced the test results of all candidates nationwideon July 11 last year. The percentage of candidates who achieved a score of 9 points or more ontheir tests in some northern mountainous provinces including Ha Giang and Son La were unusually high.
Specifically, Ha Giang had 36 candidateswith cumulative scores of 29 out of 30 – half of the number of students gettingthe highest score nationwide.
On July 14, in response tothe abnormally high test results in the province, an inspection team led by MaiVan Trinh, head of the Authority of Examination and Quality Management under the MoET, started re-gradingall the students’ answer sheets.
The inspection revealedthat, except in the literature test, all eight other multiple-choice testsshowed signs of cheating or score manipulation.
A total of 102 maths testresults were adjusted, along with 85 in physics, 56 in chemistry, 52 inEnglish, eight in biology, eight in history and three in geography.
Several students ended upwith results more than 20 marks higher than they should have received. Someeven ended up 29.95 marks better off.-VNS/VNA
VNA
