The Ministry of Education and Training’s (MoET) new regulation that allows students to bring tape-recorders and cameras in exams has caused concern.

MoET announced some changes to a regulation on high school graduation and university entrance exams this year at a national forum.

The ministry have proposed that tape-recorders and cameras would be allowed in exams as part of a way of discouraging cheating in tests. However, students will not be allowed to listen to any recording, view photos or distribute their recordings or images during the exam sitting.

The regulation was prompted by an incident in Bac Giang Province where students at a high school graduation exam at Doi Ngo High School showed a video clip revealing students cheating.

The video was made public last June after MoET had said a review of high school graduation exams had concluded that the finals had been held in an exemplary manner.

The incident saw 42 examiners, teachers and staff disciplined for turning a blind eye to blatant cheating.

The ministry has also required every examining council to set up a working group that would review at least 5% of marked papers that did not include multiple choice questions.

Concerns

Representatives from departments of education and universities and colleges have not welcomed the new ruling.

They claimed that this would pose more obstacles to uncovering cheating, despite the examiners having to be responsible for fair testing.

“We shouldn’t chase after public opinion, as the regulation would pose difficulties in the supervision of the exams. Inspectors, examiners and guards are responsible for ensuring fair exams while students should focus on their own tests, not think about filming other people,” an unnamed representative from a university in Hanoi commented.

Minister of Education and Training Pham Vu Luan said the recent reviews of marked exam papers showed that while many areas had organised serious and fair exams, several examiners had failed to fulfil their tasks, resulting in inaccurate exam results.

“What would have happened if the cheating at Doi Ngo High School had not being uncovered? Who will detect cheating among teachers? The Party’s resolution has clarified the necessity to fight against corruption,” the minister emphasised.

He said that most students wouldn’t bother bringing cameras into their exams but those who did, should be welcomed as they would help uncover cheating.

Deputy Minister of Education and Training Bui Van Ga said, “The regulation is about the supervision of the exams and forcing them to take their task seriously.”

Many are also concerned about the costs involved in establishing a working group to review marked papers under examining councils in localities, believing it will make the exams more expensive to administer.

“The time between high school graduation exams and university entrance exams is rather short. It would be difficult to grant graduation certificates if the confirmed results are different from the marks made by the council of examiners,” an unnamed official from Thai Binh provincial Department of Education and Training’s examination appraisal office said.

MoET has yet reach a conclusion on the issue but will gather further opinions for consideration.