Hanoi (VNA) – Further inspections are being carried out into abnormalresults of the national high school examination in the mountainous provinces ofLang Son and Son La.

Following the cheating scandal in Ha Giang province, Minister of Education andTraining Phung Xuan Nha recently set up two working groups under the steeringboard of the national high school examination to clarify unusually high scoresachieved by many test-takers in the two localities.

In Son La province, 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, 30test-takers achieved nine points and above for maths test, and 13 studentsscored nine out of 10 or higher for the physics exam.

Also, inspectors from the education sector are investigating an incident inLang Son province when 35 local students scored unusually high in maths,literature and history, ranging from 8 to 8.75 each.

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc also ordered the Ministry of Public Security toopen an investigation into the recent high school exam scandal in Ha Giangprovince.

Vu Trong Luong, Deputy Chief of the Examination and Quality Management Divisionunder the provincial Department of Education and Training, has been arraignedfor his role in the scandal.

The education ministry reported the shocking news at a press conference on July17, while also confirming more than 300 test results of 114 students would beadjusted.

Following the abnormally high test results in the province, on July 14, aninspection team led by Mai Van Trinh, head of the Authority of Examination andQuality Management under the education ministry, started re-grading allstudents’ answer sheets.

The inspection revealed that except the literature test, all eight others whichwere taken as multiple-choice test showed signs of cheating.

A total of 102 maths test results were adjusted, as were 85 in physics, 56 inchemistry, 52 in English, eight in biology, eight in history and three ingeography.

Several students ended up with results more than 20 marks higher than theyshould have received. Some even ended up 29.95 marks better off.

The result of the national high school examination has been used for four yearsnow to determine if a student graduates from high school and gets into theirdream university or not.

Since 2017, all tests except literature have been multiple choice. In 2018, theeducation ministry tightened the exam’s security by sealing bags of answersheets with signatures of supervisors and universities’ representatives.

The last examination was taken by 5,400 Ha Giang students. In the top 11students nationwide with highest scores, the province contributed three, while65 students scored nine or higher in the physics test. The abnormal result triggeredsocial uproar.-VNA