On the morning of 14/7, during discussions on the June report on people's aspirations, many members of the National Assembly Standing Committee commented on the exam cheating scandal in Tuyen Quang.

Nguyen Dac Vinh, chairman of the Culture and Education Committee, described the incident at the Tuyen Quang exam site as very serious. "This exam is crucial and has a major impact on society. Any errors are significant. We highly commend the Government's directive to handle violations strictly, with no exceptions", he stated.

Beyond prosecuting violations and improving state management, Vinh suggested that the Government needs to review the policy regarding the high school graduation exam. Public opinion currently presents two perspectives that require careful consideration.

First, organizing a combined high school graduation and university entrance exam offers the advantage of saving effort for people and costs for society. However, this merger has created problems. Candidates participate in the exam aiming for high scores to gain admission to universities. This is one of the reasons leading to negative behavior.

"We believe it is worth considering separating these two exams", Vinh said, explaining that the high school graduation exam should assess the general education process, testing knowledge and classifying academic levels to evaluate and adjust the quality of education at institutions. This would ensure proper direction.

University admissions, on the other hand, should be the responsibility of higher education institutions. In fact, some universities have already shifted to competency-based assessments and independent admissions. "If separated, the high school graduation exam would be less likely to repeat the current situation", he recommended.

Ong Nguyen Dac Vinh speaks at the session.

The chairman of the Culture and Social Affairs Committee also stated that he would discuss thoroughly with the Ministry of Education and Training to study the organization of exams using multiple-choice methods. If only pure multiple-choice questions are used, especially for Math, students will not be taught presentation methods and clear logical thinking. The multiple-choice format struggles to reflect the entire learning process, causing students to focus solely on selecting the correct answer.

Furthermore, interfering with the scoring process of multiple-choice exams is theoretically easier than with essay exams. Referring to international experience, Vinh noted that other countries typically allocate about 70% to multiple-choice questions and 30% to essay-based problems to develop students' capabilities and skills.

Providing further clarification on this matter, Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Van Thang acknowledged that the issue at the Tuyen Quang exam site is of particular public concern. The Government has decisively directed the Ministry of Education and Training, along with relevant agencies, to promptly investigate and verify the facts objectively.

Thang noted that the Prime Minister is also deeply concerned about this issue. Government leaders have convened to review and provide directives. "The Prime Minister himself will work with the People's Committee and leaders of Tuyen Quang province to continue handling the matter strictly and in accordance with legal regulations", Thang informed.

The Government's stance is to strictly deal with any detected violations according to legal provisions, ensuring fairness for students and maintaining public trust in the education sector.

At the session, the Standing Committee for People's Aspirations and Oversight recommended that the National Assembly Standing Committee propose to the Government and the Prime Minister to direct ministries, sectors, and localities to investigate the unusual Math exam scores at the Tuyen Quang High School for the Gifted exam site.

The high school graduation Math exam scores in Tuyen Quang province were found to be abnormal when more than 140 out of 154 perfect scores belonged to students of Tuyen Quang High School for the Gifted. To date, the police have prosecuted 19 people, all under investigation for abusing their positions and powers while performing official duties.

Tran Thi Thu Hang, deputy principal of Nguyen Van Huyen High School, is accused of, in her role as head of the exam site, directing and guiding several proctors to create favorable conditions for candidates taking the Math exam. Subsequently, Nguyen Ha Duy, a Math teacher at Tuyen Quang High School for the Gifted, "entered the exam room and directly guided" some candidates.

Son Ha