Prime Minister: do not use high pass rates as a basis for commendation

The Prime Minister demands no forbidden zones or exceptions for acts such as proxy learning, proxy testing, or grade manipulation; high pass or graduation rates should not be used as criteria for commendation and awards.

This content is part of the Prime Minister's directive on strengthening the prevention and combat of exam fraud, inspection, and assessment in education and training, issued on 20/10.

According to the Prime Minister, this activity has been reformed over the past years, with many positive changes fundamentally ensuring fairness. However, in some places, the inspection and assessment process does not accurately reflect the quality of teaching and learning. Acts of fraud, violations of exam regulations, and even serious violations in exam administration, along with a lack of integrity in learning and scientific research, still occur.

"These shortcomings and violations distort evaluation results, affecting human resource quality, fairness in education, the industry's reputation, and public trust," the directive stated.

Identifying the main causes as human factors, the "achievement disease" (an obsession with high performance metrics), and management mechanisms for evaluation, commendation, and awards, the Prime Minister requested the implementation of a series of tasks and solutions.

Specifically, he directed a comprehensive review of exam regulations, enhancing the application of technology and technical measures for prevention. Concurrently, the Ministry of Education and Training (MoET), along with provinces, cities, and schools, must establish cross-checking mechanisms, activity logging, and independent inspections in high-risk stages.

All parties must resolutely detect, prevent, and promptly address acts such as proxy learning, proxy testing, plagiarism, grade manipulation, exam leaks, and the use of high technology for fraud; as well as acts of cover-up, complicity, or abuse of position and power to influence academic and examination results.

"Organizations and individuals who violate regulations will be severely punished, with no forbidden zones or exceptions," the Prime Minister directed.

Furthermore, the Prime Minister requested the MoET to review and innovate the assignment of performance targets and exam results for evaluating commendations and awards, ensuring it does not create pressure for achievements. Specifically, schools must not solely use the percentage of students with high academic performance, graduation rates, or exam results as the basis for evaluating and awarding individuals or groups. This task must be completed before 30/11.

The Ministry must strictly prohibit pressure or intervention aimed at raising scores, increasing graduation rates, or falsifying results; concurrently, it must complete the database for analyzing and benchmarking academic and examination outcomes.

The People's Committees of provinces and cities must direct schools not to chase achievements and to promptly detect and handle acts of brokering or organizing fraud.

The Prime Minister's directive comes amidst the discovery of several serious fraud cases in this year's high school graduation exam, such as at Tuyen Quang Specialized High School, which led to 328 candidates having to retake the exam. Concurrently, the high percentage of students graduating with excellent or outstanding results has raised concerns.