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HÒA BÌNH — The Investigation Police Agency under the Ministry of Public Security has proposed the Supreme People’s Procuracy prosecute three people on charges of abusing their powers to manipulate students’ test results.

The proposal was made on Monday after the agency concluded its investigation into cheating on the 2018 National High School Exam.

The accused include Nguyễn Quang Vinh, 53, former head of Division of Examination and Quality Management under the Hòa Bình Department of Education and Training; Nguyễn Khắc Tuấn, 38, an official  from the same division and Đỗ Mạnh Tuấn, 40, vice principal of the Lạc Thủy District Boarding Secondary School and Boarding High School.

Investigators found that in early May last year, Vinh directed Tuấn to modify some students’ multiple-choice tests before the answer sheets were sent to the Ministry of Education and Training (MoET).

They concluded that 140 test results of 56 students had been modified upward. The final marks had gaps ranging between 0.2 and 9.25 points. The maximum score in the test is 10.

Tuấn told police that Vinh assigned him to make a list of students whose writing test scores should be increased.

A total 22 literature test results of 22 students were raised by between 1.25 and 4.75 points, according to the education ministry. However, the investigation body did not have enough evidence to reach a conclusion on the concerned individuals’ wrongdoings.

Đỗ Mạnh Tuấn admitted to police that he was paid VNĐ550 million (US$23,700) to change the test results. Police are investigating who paid Tuấn the money but the answer is not yet clear.

Public concern has been raised after the MoET announced the test results of all candidates nationwide on July 11 last year. The percentage of candidates who achieved a score of 9 points or more on their tests in some northern mountainous provinces including Hà Giang and Sơn La were unusually high.

Specifically, Hà Giang had 36 candidates with cumulative scores of 29 out of 30 – half of the number of students getting the highest score nationwide.

On July 14, in response to the abnormally high test results in the province, an inspection team led by Mai Văn Trinh, head of the Authority of Examination and Quality Management under MoET, started re-grading all the students’ answer sheets.

The inspection revealed that, except in the literature test, all eight other multiple-choice tests showed signs of cheating or score manipulation.

A total of 102 maths test results were adjusted, along with 85 in physics, 56 in chemistry, 52 in English, eight in biology, eight in history and three in geography.

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