Many students have been shocked when receiving the results of their high school entrance exams. Errors in putting exam scores into databases have led to the discipline of department of education officials.

The exam scores Thao got in the entrance exam to 10th grade

Prior to that, Thao was informed that she got a zero on the mathematics exam, due to which she would have been denied admittance to high school.

In the petition to the HCM City Education and Training Department, Thao wrote that she firmly believed she got an eight at minimum on the mathematics exam.

“A zero mark means that I will not have any chance to learn at any high school. I feel ashamed because I have hurt my parents. I just want to prove that I am not incompetent, I want to go to school like my friends,” she wrote.

Thao was then informed that the score was in fact a zero. However, following a subsequent check, Thao was told on July 23 that she actually got an 8.5.

A lot of questions were raised about the potentially damaging mistake.

Nguyen Thi Kim Loan, a teacher of Thao, said that she still cannot understand how the thing happened. In principle, a paper must be marked by two teachers, so why did they both give zeros to Thao?

Local newspapers and education forums received a lot of emails asking how the mistake could have happened and asking for the heavy discipline of those responsible. Many people even demanded apologies for Thao and her family.

Le Hong Son, Deputy Director of the HCM City Education and Training Department, said on July 24 that it was a mistake in entering the exam marks into the database.

When asked why Thao had been informed that her score was a zero after the first check, Son said that Thao’s paper was rescored at 8.5 marks, and the teachers only reported papers on which there were changes in scores. The database was not consulted for discrepancies.

The HCM City Education and Training Department on July 27 said that it has disciplined two officials of the department involved in Thao’s case. Vo Van Thay, who was in charge of processing marks and announcing exam results, received a reprimand. Le Hong Son, Deputy Director of the HCM City Education and Training Department, took responsibility for not strictly supervising the checking of exam papers.

However, another case of incorrect exam scores announced took place in Quang Nam province. 123 students were informed of the wrong results of their exams to enter state-owned high schools in the province.

Ngo Thi Quynh Nhu, a 9^th grade student of Nguyen Van Troi Secondary School, got a 6.75 in mathematics, but was informed that she got 0.5. Many others met the same problem, which was only discovered after some students demanded a re-check.

The trouble was blamed on mistakes occurring during the process of cutting and putting back the upper part of exam papers bearing examinees’ names.

VietNamNet/TT, TP, NLD