Defendant Bùi Thanh Trà, born in 1980, former teacher at Lương Sơn High school in Hoà Bình Province is one of 15 defendants at the first trial on the exam cheating scandal on Monday. – VNA/VNS Photo Trọng Đạt

HÒA BÌNH – Hoà Bình Province People’s Court on Monday opened the first instance trial on the 2017-2018 national high school exam cheating scandal in which dozens of candidates had their exam scores increased so they could graduate high school and attend universities or colleges.

Thirteen out of 15 defendants who are former education officials, teachers and police officers in the province are being tried for abuse of power while performing their official duties to inflate the exam scores of students.

Among the defendants are Nguyễn Quang Vinh, born in 1966, residing in Hoà Bình city, the former head of the Testing and Quality Assurance unit under Hoà Bình's education department; Diệp Thị Hồng Liên, born in 1974, residing in Hoà Bình City, former vice head of the Testing and Quality Assurance Unit; and Khương Ngọc Chất, born in 1981, residing in Hoà Bình City, former head of of the Internal Political Security Division under the Hòa Bình Police.

Đỗ Mạnh Tuấn, born in 1979, residing in Lạc Thuỷ District, Hoà Bình Province, former vice principle of Lạc Thuỷ District Secondary and High school Boarding school is also charged for receiving bribes in addition to abuse of power.

Hồ Chúc, born in 1975, residing in Phú Thành Commune, Lạc Thuỷ District, Hoà Bình Province, former teacher of Thanh Hà High school in Lạc Thuỷ District is charged for giving bribes.

According to the indictment by Hoà Bình Province People’s Prosecuracy, the defendants abused their power and made use of their relationships to collude and intervene to raise the marks of candidates in the national high school exam in 2017 and 2018.

The intervention raised marks for 65 candidates who sat for the national exam in 2018 and one candidate who sat for the national exam in 2017.

Of the candidates benefiting from the scheme, 45 were forced to quit school after their exams were re-marked objectively, ten others could continue their university courses as their remarked scores were eligible for university admission.

Six other candidates did not attend university courses even though their remarked scores met universities’ requirements, one candidate failed to get university admission while another candidate did not apply for any university or college.

The trial will run until May 18. VNS