Decision No. 11/2003/QĐ-BGDĐT On Issuing the Regulations on Admissions for Full-time Vocational High School Programs

Pursuant to …;

On the issuance of the Admissions Regulations for Full-time Secondary Vocational Education Programs

secondary vocational education

 

MINISTER OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING

Pursuant to Decree No. 86/2002/NĐ-CP dated January 5, 2002 of the Government on the functions, tasks, powers, and organizational structure of Ministries and ministerial-level agencies,

Pursuant to Decree No. 29/CP dated March 30, 1994 of the Government on the functions, tasks, powers, and organizational structure of the Ministry of Education and Training,

At the proposal of the Director of the Department of Secondary Vocational Education and Vocational Training,

Pursuant to …;:

Article 1. The Admissions Regulations for Full-time Secondary Vocational Education Programs are hereby issued together with this Decision.

Article 2. This Decision shall take effect fifteen days after its publication in the Official Gazette. This Decision replaces Decision No. 05/1999/QĐ-BGDĐT dated February 23, 1999 and Decision No. 20/2000/QĐ-BGDĐT of the Minister of Education and Training.

Article 3. The Heads of the Office, the Directors of the Department of Secondary Vocational Education and Vocational Training, the Heads of relevant units under the Ministry of Education and Training, the Heads of management agencies, and the Principals of secondary vocational schools and training institutions are responsible for implementing this Decision.

 REGULATIONS

Admissions for Full-time Secondary Vocational Education Programs
(Issued together with Decision No. 11/2003/QĐ-BGDĐT dated March 18, 2003)

of the Minister of Education and Training)

Chapter 1:

GENERAL PROVISIONS

Article 1. Forms of Admission

1. Admissions for secondary vocational education include the following forms:

- Direct appointment

- Direct admission

- Examination-based admission

- Admission based on assessment.

2. Each year, schools with enrollment quotas organize admissions to select students for enrollment in their full-time programs.

a. The selection process is carried out in accordance with Circular Joint Circular No. 04/2001/TTLT-BGDĐT-BTCCBCP-UBDTMN dated February 26, 2001 on guiding the selection for admission to universities, colleges, and secondary vocational schools under the conscription system and other guidance documents issued by the Ministry of Education and Training.

b. Direct admission is applied to the following categories:

b.1. Heroes of Labor, Heroes of the Armed Forces, National Model Workers who have completed general secondary school, lower secondary school, or equivalent, depending on the admission criteria of the school.

b.2. Individuals who have taken the examination and been admitted to secondary vocational education but were immediately drafted for military service or assigned to concentrated volunteer work and have now completed their service and been discharged, if recommended by a regimental unit in the military or a Volunteer Work General Team, may be admitted to the school where they previously took the examination.

b.3. Candidates who are members of national teams participating in international Olympiads (Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Informatics, etc.) and have completed general secondary school, lower secondary school, or equivalent may be admitted to secondary vocational education. If they have not yet completed general secondary school or lower secondary school, their admission will be deferred until they complete these levels.

The majors of such candidates will be given priority consideration in line with the subject they participated in at the international level.

b.4. Athletes who are members of national teams participating in international competitions and are rated as first-class athletes or higher, having completed general secondary school, lower secondary school, or equivalent, may be admitted to secondary vocational education in physical education and sports.

The period during which such national team members and athletes can enjoy preferential treatment does not exceed five years from the date of their participation in international competitions to the date of their admission to secondary vocational education in physical education and sports.

b.5. Students with artistic talents who have completed general secondary school, lower secondary school, or equivalent and have won official awards in national or international professional art contests may be directly admitted to secondary vocational education in corresponding majors at arts schools (if the school offers such majors).

The period during which such students can enjoy preferential treatment does not exceed five years from the date of winning the award to the date of their admission to secondary vocational education.

b.6. Students who have achieved commendation or higher awards in national examinations selecting excellent high school students (based on the twelfth-grade curriculum) after completing general secondary school may be directly admitted to secondary vocational education.

The results of the national examination selecting excellent high school students based on the twelfth-grade curriculum of students currently in eleventh grade will be retained for the next year's secondary vocational education admission examination.

b.7. Students who have completed general secondary school, lower secondary school, and have been rated as good or better in conduct and have an average score of 6.5 or higher in Mathematics and Literature in their final year, belonging to one of the following categories:

- Orphans of both parents, with one parent being a martyr.

- Students whose father and mother are war invalids or disabled veterans, with one of them being unable to work more than 81%.

- Orphans of both parents who have permanent residence and are currently living and studying in special hardship areas or difficult-to-develop regions for at least three years up to the date of the examination.

b.8. Direct admission according to points b3, b5, and b6 of point b, Clause 2, Article 1 of this Regulation shall be conducted according to the following principles:

- It is only applicable once in the year when the student completes general secondary school or lower secondary school.

- A student who achieves one or more awards in the examination for excellent high school students is only entitled to the highest preference standard.

- Students who achieve awards in national examinations selecting excellent high school students may be directly admitted to majors that match the subjects they won awards in.

- For schools requiring preliminary screening (such as those in the Defense and Public Security sectors), only those who meet the preliminary screening requirements are eligible for direct admission.

- For majors requiring artistic talent, candidates eligible for direct admission must pass the preliminary screening requirements and are exempt from cultural subjects but must take and pass the talent subjects as required by the school to be considered for admission.

- The total number of candidates directly admitted to secondary vocational education in a school or a specific major within a school as stipulated in point b, Clause 2, Article 1 of this Regulation shall not exceed 20% of the total admission quota. If the number of applications for direct admission exceeds 20%, priority will be given to applicants specified in points b1 to b6 of this clause. Applicants specified in point b7 of this clause will be selected based on their overall graduation exam scores.

- Students who are eligible for direct admission shall be granted an additional two points if they take the examination for specialized secondary schools.

Annually, candidates eligible for direct admission must prepare and submit their direct admission application forms according to the model provided in Appendix 1 (attached hereto) to the Department of Education and Training where they reside before July 15. The Department of Education and Training must compile a list and send it to the Ministry of Education and Training (Department of Specialized Secondary Schools and Vocational Training) before July 25. After August 10, candidates may go to the Department of Education and Training where they reside to view the results and contact the school that has accepted them.

c. Schools with the number of candidates registering for the examination not exceeding 150% of the quota assigned, after reporting to the Ministry of Education and Training and the competent ministry (for central schools) or the Department of Education and Training (for local schools) are permitted to apply the examination-based admission method.

- The examination-based admission process must be conducted publicly based on the total score of two subjects from the high school or junior high school graduation examination that correspond to the entrance examination subjects of the school. If the examination-based admission cannot determine the result, then the average score of all subjects in the final grade report card will be considered, depending on the specific admission criteria of each school.

- In cases where the required number of students has still not been admitted, additional candidates who did not pass university or college but wish to study at the school and have no zero scores in their university or college entrance examination may be admitted upon the agreement of the competent authority and the Ministry of Education and Training. The selection order will be based on the total score of the university or college entrance examination, from highest to lowest, according to the corresponding field of study.

d. The principal of each school is responsible for organizing and implementing the entrance examination process in four stages: organizing the examination period; preparing the examination questions; grading and re-grading; selecting and summoning successful candidates to the school in accordance with the provisions of this Regulation.

Article 2. Management and Direction of Admissions Work

The Ministry of Education and Training is the state management agency, uniformly directing all aspects of admissions work for specialized secondary schools nationwide.

The Ministry of Education and Training establishes and promulgates legal normative documents, prints and distributes unified materials and forms to serve the admissions work.

Annually, three months before the entrance examination date, the Ministry of Education and Training publicly announces the enrollment quotas for each school, recruitment areas, admission categories, examination subjects, and examination schedules.

The functional departments and the Inspectorate of the Ministry of Education and Training, relevant ministries and sectors, People's Committees of provinces and centrally governed cities have the responsibility to guide, instruct, and inspect schools to comply with the regulations on admissions.

Article 3. Inspection of Admissions

Admissions inspection is carried out in accordance with the "Regulations on the Organization and Operation of Inspections during Examinations under the Regulations of the Ministry of Education and Training," issued by Decision No. 20/1998/QĐ-BGDĐT dated May 4, 1998, of the Minister of Education and Training.

Ministers of relevant ministries and sectors, Chairmen of People's Committees of provinces and centrally governed cities shall establish admissions inspection teams (or appoint admissions inspectors) to conduct inspections on the implementation of this Regulation.

In special cases, the Minister of Education and Training shall examine and decide.

Article 4. Conditions for Registration to Take the Examination

1. All citizens of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (separate regulations apply for foreigners) who meet the following conditions shall be eligible to take the examination for admission to vocational high schools:

a. Having completed secondary school, junior high school, or equivalent, depending on the recruitment criteria of the school;

b. Being in good health to study and work as stipulated in Circular No. 10/TT-LB dated August 18, 1989, jointly issued by the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Education and Training, and Instruction No. 2445/TS dated August 20, 1990, issued by the Ministry of Education and Training;

c. Being within the age limit prescribed for certain fields that have age restrictions (schools under the Defense, Public Security, Procuracy sectors, and some artistic fields);

d. Meeting the requirements of the preliminary examination if applying to schools that require such an examination;

e. Having permanent residence registration in the designated region if applying to schools that specify regional requirements;

f. Submitting all required documents and examination fees within the specified time frame as set forth by the Ministry of Education and Training;

g. Being present at the registered school at the time indicated in the examination notification and paying the full examination fee;

h. Military personnel and public security officers on active duty may only take the examination at schools designated by the Ministry of National Defense and the Ministry of Public Security after obtaining permission from the competent authority;

Military personnel on active duty nearing the end of their compulsory military service period, if permitted by a commander at the regiment level or higher, may take the examination according to their personal preference.

2. Those who do not meet the above conditions and those falling into any of the following categories shall not be eligible to take the examination:

a. Those who fail to strictly comply with the Law on Military Service obligations; those with criminal behavior currently under prosecution or serving a sentence;

b. Those whose right to take the examination has been revoked or who have been disciplined with expulsion from school and have not yet completed two years since the revocation of their examination rights or the date of the disciplinary decision (counting from the year they were deprived of examination rights or the date of the disciplinary decision to the examination date);

c. Students and trainees currently enrolled in universities, colleges, or vocational high schools without permission from the school principal, and civil servants working in state agencies without permission from the agency head to attend classes.

Article 5. Conditions for Admission

Candidates who meet the conditions stated in Article 4 of this Regulation, if they achieve the admission score for the school they applied to, as specified for each category and region (if the school admits based on majors), and do not fail any subject (score zero), will be admitted to the school they applied to.

Article 6. Recruitment for Studying Abroad at Vocational High Schools

The recruitment for studying abroad at vocational high schools shall be conducted in accordance with separate regulations of the Ministry of Education and Training.

Article 7. Preferential Policies and Target Groups in Recruitment

1. Preferential policies by category

a. Priority Group 1.

- War invalids, disabled veterans, and persons enjoying benefits similar to war invalids; military personnel and public security officers on active duty assigned to study; military personnel and public security officers who have completed their compulsory military service and transferred to other sectors or retired, demobilized, and have served well for at least 12 months in border areas or islands during their service.

- Children of martyrs, children of war invalids and disabled veterans with a disability rate of 81% or more; children of persons enjoying benefits similar to war invalids with a disability rate of 81% or more; children of Heroic Mothers of Vietnam; children of Heroes of the Armed Forces and Labor Heroes.

- Persons whose father or mother is a member of a minority ethnic group in Vietnam.

- Outstanding workers directly involved in production who have worked for five years, including two consecutive years recognized as model workers at the provincial or central city level or higher, and awarded a commendation certificate.

- Vietnamese citizens who are not members of ethnic minorities (Kinh, Han...), having a permanent residence registration for three years or more (as of the examination date) and attending general education at the place of permanent residence in mountainous and remote areas of Zone 1.

b. Priority Group 2:

- Military personnel and public security officers on active duty or young volunteers assigned to study; military personnel and public security officers who have served for at least 24 months (as of the examination date); children of war invalids and disabled veterans with a disability rate below 81%; children of persons enjoying benefits similar to war invalids with a disability rate below 81%;

- Outstanding workers from all economic sectors recognized as skilled workers or artisans by the provincial or central city level; persons awarded the Creative Worker Certificate by the Vietnam General Confederation of Labor or the Youth Creativity Award by the Communist Youth Central Committee; teachers without a vocational high school teaching qualification who have taught for three years (as of the examination date) and are taking the examination for the vocational high school teacher training program; nursing assistants, pharmacy technicians, and medical technicians in the medical field with a basic qualification who have worked for three years (as of the examination date) and are taking the examination for the vocational high school medical program; workers with a regular vocational training qualification who have worked for three years (as of the examination date) and are taking the examination for the corresponding vocational high school program.

- Vietnamese citizens who are not members of ethnic minorities, having a permanent residence registration for three years or more (as of the examination date) in Zone 1 but not in mountainous or remote areas.

- Students who do not belong to the priority groups 1 and 2, having a permanent residence registration in rural areas of Zone 2 but not in urban districts or suburban counties of central cities.

c. Duration of Preferential Treatment for Certain Groups

The maximum duration for preferential treatment for military personnel and public security officers who have been demobilized, discharged, or transferred to civilian jobs and are taking the examination is 18 months from the date of discharge to the examination date.

Individuals eligible for multiple priority categories may only enjoy the highest priority.

2. Priority Areas in Recruitment

Candidates who have lived and have a permanent residence registration for three years or more (as of the examination date) in a particular area shall be considered for that area. Students in specialized classes and preparatory classes shall be considered based on their original place of residence before attending these classes. Military personnel and public security officers assigned to take the examination shall be considered based on the area where they are stationed.

The priority areas are defined as follows:

- Zone 1: Includes mountainous districts, highland areas, remote and isolated regions, deep inland areas, islands, and villages, hamlets, communes located in special difficult economic and social condition areas as prescribed by the Government.

- Zone 2: Includes midland and delta provinces, districts, communes, suburban areas of centrally governed cities. This zone is divided into two groups:

a. Students with permanent residence registration at wards, communes, towns belonging to cities not under central governance; at wards, communes, towns belonging to provincial towns and communes, towns belonging to suburban districts of centrally governed cities.

b. Students with permanent residence registration at communes, towns not included in the group mentioned in point a above shall belong to the rural group of Zone 2.

- Zone 3: Includes inner city districts of centrally governed cities.

Recruitment zones will be detailed annually by the Ministry of Education and Training.

3. Framework for preferential points based on target groups and recruitment zones

a. The difference in points between two consecutive preferential target groups and recruitment zones shall not exceed 2 points.

b. For schools or training programs with designated usage addresses, they may set examination admission points according to province or district levels with a higher point difference than that specified in point a of this clause to ensure sufficient enrollment.

c. Examination admission points for candidates from Zone 2 - rural areas are lower than those for general education students in Zone 2 but higher than those for Han people in mountainous areas.

Article 8. Documents and procedures for registering to take the exam, transferring and receiving exam notification letters

1. Exam registration documents

Candidates base their registration of exam preferences on the annual admission plan announced by the Ministry of Education and Training, which should be consistent with their abilities and conditions.

Candidates can register for one or more schools using the unified exam registration form issued by the Ministry of Education and Training and must have confirmation from the People's Committee of the ward, commune, workplace, or educational institution where they reside or study.

2. Procedures for submitting registration documents, examination registration fees, and transferring and receiving exam notification letters

The submission of registration documents, examination registration fees, transfer, and receipt of exam notification letters shall be carried out through the following methods:

a. Through the admission system in the following sequence:

Candidate -> Provincial Department of Education and Training -> School -> Provincial Department of Education and Training -> Candidate.

b. Candidates directly submit the exam registration form and examination registration fee to the school and directly receive the exam notification letter from the school.

After submitting the exam registration form, if there are changes in family or personal circumstances, candidates are responsible for updating and providing all supplementary legal documents when attending the exam to serve as the basis for implementing preferential policies in selection and other benefits.

After the exam date, schools will not process changes in preferential target groups and zones for candidates who have already taken the exam.

After completing the examination room list and printing the exam notification letters, schools will not accept additional exam registration documents.

Chapter 2:

RIGHTS AND LIMITATIONS OF SCHOOLS

IN ENROLLMENT WORK

Article 9. Organization, rights, and responsibilities of the Admissions Council of the school

To manage all matters related to admissions work, each year, the Rector of schools with admission quotas issues a decision to establish the Admissions Council.

1. Composition of the Admissions Council

- Chairperson: The Rector or Deputy Rector authorized by the Rector,

- Vice-Chairperson: Deputy Principal or Head of the Training Department.

- Permanent member: Head or Deputy Head of the Training Department.

- Members: Some Heads of Departments, Heads of Faculties, Heads of Divisions, and Heads of Specialized Groups.

Individuals with relatives (spouse, children, siblings) taking the exam at the school that year are not allowed to participate in the Admissions Council.

2. Rights and responsibilities of the Admissions Council of the school

The Central School Admissions Council operates under the unified direction of the Ministry of Education and Training, while the Local School Admissions Council operates under the unified direction of the Provincial Department of Education and Training.

The Admissions Council has the authority and responsibility to organize and implement well the stages of setting exam questions, organizing the exam, marking exams and re-marking, selecting and summoning admitted candidates to the school; collecting and utilizing examination registration fees and exam fees; summarizing the admissions work; deciding rewards and punishments and promptly reporting the admissions work to the Ministry of Education and Training and relevant ministries and sectors (for central schools), People's Committee or Provincial Department of Education and Training (for local schools).

3. Rights and responsibilities of the Chairperson of the Admissions Council of the school

- Decides and is fully responsible for all aspects of admissions work as stipulated in this Regulation.

- Issues decisions to establish support staff for the Admissions Council including: Secretariat, Question Setting Board, Supervision Board, Marking Board, Re-marking Board... Depending on the specific circumstances of each school, the Chairperson of the Admissions Council may establish a Facilities Board or designate a group of officers to oversee facilities for the school's admissions period. These boards are directly supervised by the Chairperson of the Admissions Council.

- Disseminate, guide, and organize the implementation of admissions work in accordance with this Regulation.

- The Vice-Chairperson of the Admissions Council assists the Chairperson of the Admissions Council in performing tasks and replaces the Chairperson of the Admissions Council to handle matters when authorized by the Chairperson of the Admissions Council.

Article 10. Organization, powers, and responsibilities of the Admissions Council Secretariat

1. Composition of the Admissions Council Secretariat

- Chairperson: To be concurrently held by a standing member of the Admissions Council of the school.

- Members: Some staff from the Training Department and teachers.

2. Powers and responsibilities of the Admissions Council Secretariat

- Receive examination papers from the Examination Supervision Board; inventory and safeguard examination papers.

- Implement the consolidation of envelopes, numbering, and opening of examination papers according to the provisions set forth in Article 19 of this Regulation.

- Hand over candidates' examination papers to the Marking Board and carry out other tasks as stipulated in Article 25 of this Regulation.

- Manage all related documents and minutes concerning examination papers. Prepare minutes for handling examination papers that violate regulations.

- Report on the marking situation to the Chairman of the Admissions Council for review.

- Propose the selection score scheme for review by the Chairman of the Admissions Council.

- Send score notification letters and admission notification letters to candidates.

The Admissions Council Secretariat may only proceed with work related to examination papers when at least two members of the Secretariat are present.

3. Powers and responsibilities of the Chairperson of the Admissions Council Secretariat

- Select staff within the school who have organizational discipline awareness, high sense of responsibility, honesty, meticulous working style, confidentiality awareness, and no relatives (spouse, children, siblings) taking the entrance exam that year to submit to the Chairman of the Admissions Council for decision-making on appointment to the Secretariat.

- Be responsible before the Chairman of the Admissions Council for directing the operations of the Secretariat.

Article 11. Organization, powers, and responsibilities of the Examination Question Board

1. Composition of the Examination Question Board

- Chairperson to be concurrently held by the Chairman or Vice-Chairman of the Admissions Council of the school.

- Standing members appointed by the Chairman of the Admissions Council or the Chairperson of the Examination Question Board.

- Depending on the number of subjects offered by the school, the Chairperson of the Examination Question Board appoints a Head of Subject for each subject.

The Examination Question Board has 1-2 staff members assisting with typing, printing, and packaging examination questions. Individuals with relatives (spouse, children, siblings) taking the entrance exam that year shall not be members of the Examination Question Board or assistants to the Examination Question Board.

2. Powers and responsibilities of the Examination Question Board

- Assist the Chairman of the Admissions Council in determining examination question requirements, printing, packaging, storing, and using examination questions in accordance with this Regulation.

- The Examination Question Board operates independently and directly between the Chairperson of the Examination Question Board and each Head of Subject, without conducting collective meetings of the entire Board.

3. Powers and responsibilities of the Chairperson of the Examination Question Board

- Select participants for the examination question setting work and specify the requirements for compiling examination questions.

- Organize and direct the implementation of all examination question-related work according to the examination question procedures set forth in Article 17 of this Regulation.

- Review and decide on the selection of official and backup questions and handle urgent and unusual situations regarding examination questions during the admissions period.

- Personally bear responsibility before the Admissions Council for the quality of examination questions and the confidentiality procedures, as well as all related work stages.

4. Powers and responsibilities of the Standing Member of the Examination Question Board:

- Study and thoroughly understand the regulations on examination question work, prepare textbooks and necessary reference materials to assist the Chairperson of the Examination Question Board in managing examination question work.

- Plan and schedule the review of examination questions, record minutes of the review and critique of examination questions during meetings between the Chairperson of the Examination Question Board and each Head of Subject.

- Plan and directly organize the printing, packaging, storage, distribution, and use of examination questions for examination venues and rooms.

5. Powers and responsibilities of the Head of Subject

Fully grasp and implement the requirements for setting examination questions as stipulated in Article 11 of this Regulation.

- Study proposed questions to select, refine, combine, and compile new examination questions that meet the requirements of the entrance examination. Propose schemes for selecting official and backup questions (including answers and grading scales) to the Chairperson of the Examination Question Board for review and decision.

- Assist the Chairperson of the Examination Question Board in monitoring, answering, and resolving issues related to the examination questions they oversee during examinations.

- The Head of Subject participates in deciding on the official questions for the examination period.

Article 12. Organization, powers, and responsibilities of the Examination Board

1. Composition of the Examination Board

- Chairperson to be concurrently held by the Chairman or Vice-Chairman of the Admissions Council of the school.

- The permanent member shall be concurrently held by the Secretary of the School Admissions Council.

- Members include some leaders from departments (Human Resources, Training, Student Affairs, Finance, Security, Administrative Services, Management, Dormitory Board...), some heads of faculties, subject group leaders, invigilators, security officers, medical staff, police (where necessary, military control officers may also be included).

- If there are multiple examination venues, the Chairman of the School Admissions Council shall designate one member of the Board to serve as the Head of each venue.

2. Powers and responsibilities of the Examination Board

Direct all examination supervision work from arranging invigilation forces, monitoring examination rooms, protecting examination rooms, organizing examinations, collecting answer sheets to transferring answer sheets according to the Admissions Regulations, ensuring safety for the examination period and candidates' answer sheets.

Individuals with relatives (spouse, children, siblings) participating in the admissions process at that school in that year shall not be members of the Examination Board.

In case of shortage of invigilators, the Examination Board is permitted to invite teachers from other schools or staff working at higher-level management agencies of the school to serve as invigilators, but must obtain written approval from the school or the agency managing the staff and teachers.

3. Powers and responsibilities of the Head of the Examination Board

- Responsible for directing all examination supervision work at the school, deciding on the list of Board members, the list of invigilators, supervisors, security officers, medical staff, police, military control officers, service personnel at examination venues.

- Deciding on the handling of situations arising during examination sessions according to this Regulation.

- The permanent member of the Examination Board shall assist the Head of the Examination Board in performing tasks.

4. Powers and responsibilities of the Venue Chief

- On behalf of the Head of the Examination Board, direct all examination supervision work at assigned venues.

- Assigning supervisors to monitor examination rooms.

- Handle situations arising during examination sessions. In complex situations, report immediately to the Head of the Examination Board for resolution.

- Before each examination session, organize a draw to assign invigilators.

Article 13. Organization, powers, and responsibilities of the Marking Board

1. Composition of the Marking Board

- The Head shall be concurrently held by the Chairman or Vice-Chairman of the School Admissions Council.

- The permanent member shall be concurrently held by the Secretary of the School Admissions Council.

- Members include Heads of marking subjects and marking staff.

The list of members and marking schedule must be kept confidential. Individuals with relatives (spouse, children, siblings) participating in the admissions process at that school in that year shall not be members of the Marking Board.

2. Powers and responsibilities of the Marking Board

Implementing all marking work according to this Regulation.

3. Powers and responsibilities of the Head of the Marking Board

- Select and nominate members of the Marking Board for the Chairman of the School Admissions Council to decide.

- Direct collaborative marking. Be responsible to the School Admissions Council regarding the quality, progress, and procedures of marking.

- In case of shortage of marking staff, the Head of the Marking Board is permitted to invite staff and teachers from other schools to participate in marking. Contracts between the Marking Board and invited individuals must be confirmed by the school or the management agency.

4. Powers and responsibilities of the permanent member of the Marking Board

On behalf of the Head of the Marking Board, direct all marking work when authorized.

5. Powers and responsibilities of the Head of the Marking Subject

- Select and introduce marking staff for the Head of the Marking Board to decide.

- Before marking, organize for subject marking staff to study answers, grading scales, and collectively mark 3-5 answer sheets, then convene discussions and draw lessons. Implement the marking plan and be responsible to the Head of the Marking Board for marking the answer sheets under their responsibility.

- Regularly check the quality of marking each sheet from the initial marking round, promptly correct mistakes made by marking staff. If suspicious answer sheets are found, report to the Head of the Marking Board to organize checks of other subjects of the candidate and proceed with collective marking of those sheets.

- Recommend the Head of the Marking Board to change or suspend marking for marking staff who lack responsibility, violate regulations, or make many errors.

Marking staff must be highly responsible, impartial, honest, have good professional qualifications, and be currently teaching the assigned subject.

Teachers in probationary periods shall not participate in marking. Individuals with relatives (spouse, children, siblings) participating in the admissions process at a certain school shall not serve as marking staff at that school. Secretariat members shall not participate in marking.

Article 14. Organization, powers, and responsibilities of the Appeals Board

1. Composition of the Appeals Board

- The Chairperson shall be held by the Rector or Deputy Rector in charge of training.

- Members: A number of teachers with expertise in relevant subjects. The list of members and the schedule of the Appeals Board must be kept confidential. Individuals participating in the Appeals Board cannot have relatives (spouse, children, siblings) who are candidates for admission to the school that year. Staff who have participated in the Examination Committee shall not participate in the Appeals Board.

2. Powers and responsibilities of the Appeals Board

When a candidate lodges a complaint, the Appeals Board is responsible for directing:

- Checking errors such as incorrect point totals, mistakenly recording points from one candidate's test onto another's

- Re-marking papers where candidates believe there are errors or omissions compared to the official marking scale.

- Re-grading lost tests that have been found.

- Re-grading supplementary tests taken by candidates due to missing points caused by errors of the Admissions Committee. Submitting the regraded test scores to the Chairman of the Admissions Committee for decision.

Chapter 3:

SPECIFIC PROVISIONS IN THE ADMISSIONS PROCESS

Section 1: PREPARATION WORK FOR THE EXAMINATION PERIOD

Article 15. Regulations on examination subjects, examination time, and examination rooms. Organizing the receipt of registration files, examination fees, and sending examination notification letters to candidates

1. The number of examination subjects for admission is two subjects. The examination subjects are decided by the School Principal after obtaining written consent from the Ministry of Education and Training and must be publicly announced three months before the examination period. Admission examination subjects (excluding specialized subjects) must be subjects within the high school curriculum. Candidates must take all required subjects as specified by the school; otherwise, they will not be considered for admission.

2. The examination period for vocational secondary education admissions lasts three days: the first day for examination procedures, the second day for taking the examinations, and the third day reserved for necessary contingencies. The examination time for each subject ranges from 90 minutes to 150 minutes.

The daily examination schedule is determined by the Chairman of the Admissions Committee.

3. At least one week before the examination period, the Admissions Committee must organize examination venues and prepare the required number of examination rooms. Each examination room must have sufficient desks, chairs, chalkboards, ensuring good ventilation and adequate lighting. The distance between adjacent candidates must be at least 1.2 meters. The location of the examination rooms must be safe and quiet. Each examination room must have two invigilators.

4. The Principal (or Chairman of the Admissions Committee) assigns the Training Department (or Secretariat) to organize the receipt of registration files, examination fees, and send examination notification letters to candidates according to Article 8 of this Regulation, while directing relevant departments to implement activities.

Article 16. Requirements for the content of the admission examination questions

Admission examination questions for vocational secondary education must meet requirements to assess basic knowledge, application skills, and practical abilities of candidates within the scope of the high school and junior high school curricula, mainly focusing on the final grade level curriculum, suitable for the general level of candidates, consistent with the program.

Examination questions must meet the requirement of classifying candidates' academic levels and be appropriate to the time allocated for each subject.

The content of examination questions must ensure scientific accuracy, rigor, clarity, and absence of errors.

The Chairman of the Admissions Committee and the Head of the Question Preparation Committee of the school are responsible for the method of question preparation and the content of the examination questions of their own school.

Article 17. Examination Question Preparation Process

1. Compilation and Introduction of Questions

Depending on the specific situation of each school, for each subject, the Head of the Question Preparation Committee designates a number of teachers with a high sense of responsibility and excellent professional qualifications to participate in introducing examination questions.

The compilation of examination questions must be based on the requirements for the content of the admission examination questions, the target group, the level of candidates, and other specific requirements of the Head of the Question Preparation Committee to compile and introduce questions along with detailed answers and grading scales.

Within the deadline set by the Head of the Question Preparation Committee, the person introducing the questions must submit the original to the Head of the Question Preparation Committee. It is not allowed to type, copy into multiple copies, retain separately, or use the introduced content for tutoring or test preparation.

2. Selection and Completion of Questions.

Based on the introduced questions, the Head of the Subject may propose selecting two or three complete questions or choosing questions from different sets to form new sets.. After that, detailed answers and grading scales are compiled for each set and submitted to the Head of the Question Preparation Committee for review and decision.

Before the first subject examination date, at a location isolated from the external environment, the Head of the Question Preparation Committee works directly and independently with each Head of the Subject in the presence of a permanent member of the Question Preparation Committee.

The Head of the Question Preparation Committee may change the order of questions, replace one question with another, or request the Head of the Subject to recompile. Based on the comments of the Head of the Question Preparation Committee, the Head of the Subject completes the proposed questions along with detailed answers and grading scales, signs the original, and hands it over to the Head of the Question Preparation Committee.

3. Selection and Review of Examination Questions

The Head of the Question Preparation Committee must organize reviews of the questions; each subject must have one reviewer; the reviewer needs to have experience and professional qualifications.

The reviewer must solve the questions in detail during a specified period without exchanging information or contacting the question preparer; they cannot bring along materials, answers, or grading scales. Review comments should include the following contents:

- The degree of satisfaction with the requirements for the content of the examination questions according to Article 16 of this Regulation;

- Comments on the answers, grading scales, difficulty level, and other errors;

- Suggestions from the reviewer.

After receiving the review document, the Head of the Subject must convene a meeting with the question preparer and the reviewer to unify opinions or make necessary revisions and supplements before reporting to the Head of the Question Preparation Committee.

After the final proofreading of the questions, answers, and grading scales with the suggestions of the preparers and reviewers of each subject, the Head of the Subject signs the original and hands it over to the Head of the Question Preparation Committee.

The Head of the Question Preparation Committee independently numbers the examination questions and decides to choose one of the proposed questions as the main question, the rest as reserve questions, and simultaneously decides the grading scale for each part of the main and reserve questions.

All examination questions introduced by teachers, proposed questions prepared by the Head of the Subject for the main and reserve questions, answers, grading scales, and related materials must be stored under confidentiality by the Head of the Question Preparation Committee.

4. Typing, Printing, Packaging, Storage, Distribution, and Use of Examination Questions

Typing, printing, packaging, storage, distribution, and use of examination questions are carried out under the direct guidance of the Head of the Question Preparation Committee.

a) Typing and printing examination questions.

- Members involved in the typing and printing process of examination questions are not allowed to carry any communication devices or means of storing information.

- The computer used to type examination questions shall not be connected to the internet.

- The Head of the Examination Room either types directly or checks the questions after another person has typed them. The Head of the Question Preparation Committee designates officers with specialized expertise and high sense of responsibility to type and print the examination questions.

- All old papers and documents must be cleared away before typing or printing examination questions.

- The examination questions must be typed clearly, accurately, cleanly, beautifully, according to specifications, in the correct number of copies as prescribed, without excess or shortage, and not on defective paper from other examination questions. Defective printed examination questions and original examination questions must be submitted to the Head of the Committee for management..

- The Head of the Examination Room and the Head of the Question Preparation Committee must thoroughly check the typed copy and both sign off before printing the examination questions.

- During the printing process, the Head of the Examination Room must check the quantity and quality of the printed copies, discard faintly printed, defective, poor-quality, dirty, torn pages, or blank pages. When printing on both sides of the paper, it must be done correctly and checked to prevent omissions.

- Each examination question must be typed or printed individually. Typing or printing of subsequent examination questions can only continue after checking the typing area, collecting and handing over all related papers to the Head of the Question Preparation Committee.

- Absolutely no typing or printing of answers before the examination.

b) Packaging examination questions.

The Standing Member of the Question Preparation Committee must be familiar with the number of candidates for each subject group, location of the examination venue of the school to distribute examination questions, record the name of the examination venue, examination room, and number of examination questions in each envelope, then hand over to the person responsible for packaging or personally place the examination questions into each envelope.

- The person packaging examination questions must ensure the correct number of examination questions, the correct subject listed on the envelope, sufficient number of examination questions for each examination venue, each examination room without blank or defective pages.

- The envelopes containing examination questions must be sealed tightly, securely, without peeling edges, with complete labels and seals (half the seal printed on the label, half on the envelope).

- After completing the packaging of each examination question, the Standing Member of the Question Preparation Committee must check the number of packaged envelopes and hand over to the Head of the Question Preparation Committee for management, including any extra, defective, faint, poor-quality, torn, dirty printed copies that have been discarded.

c) Storing and distributing examination questions.

Examination questions must be stored in a box, cabinet, or safe with secure locks, sealed tightly, and guarded continuously. The key to the box, cabinet, or safe is kept by the Head of the Question Preparation Committee.

- The schedule for distributing examination questions to each examination venue is determined by the Head of the Question Preparation Committee. There must be a record when transferring examination questions. When delivering examination questions to examination venues, there must be police protection.

d) Using official and backup examination questions.

- The envelope containing the official examination questions may only be opened for use at the designated examination room, time, and subject as uniformly specified by the Chairman of the Admissions Board for each examination period and used for verification and checking of the examination questions distributed to candidates or copied onto the board.

- Backup examination questions may only be used if the official examination questions are leaked, provided there is sufficient verified evidence and a formal conclusion from the School Admissions Board and the local Public Security Department as stipulated in Article 23 of this Regulation.

Article 18. Confidentiality of Examination Questions

- The Head of the Question Preparation Committee must select trustworthy individuals to participate in preparing the examination questions. Individuals whose relatives (spouse, children, siblings) are applying to the school that year cannot be selected to prepare examination questions. The list of individuals participating in preparing the examination questions must be kept confidential until the end of the examination sessions.

- The location for preparing examination questions must be secure, discreet, isolated, far from fences, and strictly guarded throughout the preparation period. Windows must be sealed tightly. Adequate security measures, fire prevention, and firefighting equipment must be available. Personnel working in the area must wear special badges and operate within permitted boundaries.

- All individuals involved in preparing examination questions from the moment they come into contact with the questions must be completely isolated from the external environment in all forms. In necessary cases, only the Head of the Question Preparation Committee may communicate with the Chairman of the Admissions Board via telephone under the supervision of security personnel.

- Officers involved in compiling, reviewing examination questions, and serving the Question Preparation Committee at the preparation site may leave the isolation area only after two-thirds of the final subject examination time has passed.

- The Head of the Examination Room and officers preparing the examination questions must remain on duty throughout the examination period to handle issues related to the examination questions they are responsible for.

Article 19. Use of software for vocational high school admissions

Schools must use unified software for vocational high school admissions in the following stages:

1. Assigning registration numbers and compiling lists of candidates participating in the examination.

2. Compiling examination room lists based on examinees' surnames starting with letters A, B, C... according to majors. It is strictly prohibited to arrange examination rooms by grouping students from the same locality into nearby room numbers.

3. Printing admission notices for each candidate (which can also serve as admission cards);

4. Compiling statistical forms regarding the number of candidates registered for each major and province, and sending them to the Ministry of Education and Training one week before the exam date;

5. Compiling marking forms including instructions for bagging, name-number matching sheets, and marking session records;

a) The bagging guide is a document for the Secretariat of the Admissions Council to bundle test papers into marking bags. Each subject and each major will be bundled according to different rules to ensure the following principles:

- Within each subject and major, the bundling of answer sheets will be automatically performed by computer. Each bundle of answer sheets should not exceed fifty papers. No complete set of papers from a single examination room should be bundled together.

- After printing the bagging instruction sheets for each subject and major, they must be placed in individual envelopes, clearly marked with the subject name on the outside, and sealed securely;

b) The registration number - code comparison sheet is a document for the Secretariat of the Admissions Council to assign codes to examinees' test papers.

- Based on the bagging guide, the Secretariat will independently assign codes for each subject and each major through each bag. Codes must start from a randomly generated number automatically performed by a computer.

- After printing the name-number matching sheets for each subject and major, they must be placed in individual envelopes, clearly marked with the subject name on the outside, and sealed securely;

c) The marking record (form 4) is a document for marking officers to record the results of each paper after marking twice independently and reaching a consensus on the results.

Test scores must be recorded both in writing and numerically. If there are corrections, the Head of the Marking Team must sign and stamp them.

The bagging guide, the registration number - code comparison sheet, the marking record, and all related information storage materials such as floppy disks, hard drives, programs... shall be kept by the Chairman of the Admissions Council under confidentiality regulations.

6. After marking results are available, statistics of test scores shall be compiled according to categories, regions, and majors to serve as selection points.

7. Print score reports for each examinee. In cases where an examinee loses their score report and submits a request for confirmation, the Head of the Secretariat shall verify the score records, issue a confirmation letter, and submit it to the Chairman of the Admissions Council for signature.

Section 2: EXAMINATION ORGANIZATION WORK

Article 20. Procedures for admission candidates

Before the exam day, the Secretariat completes the list of examinees for each examination room to be posted outside each room. Each examination room must have a list of registration numbers accompanied by photographs (DSA) of examinees to be handed over to invigilators for verification during exams.

According to the announced schedule, on the first day of the exam period, the Secretariat assigns staff to disseminate the Regulations, guide examinees to examination rooms, collect examination fees from examinees, and correct any errors in their application forms if necessary.

These corrections must be confirmed by the school's admissions officer on form 2 and updated in the computer.

Article 21. Duties and responsibilities of invigilators and other members of the Examination Board

1. Invigilators

Invigilators may not perform duties at examination sites where relatives (spouse, children, siblings) are taking the exam. They may not use communication devices in the examination room; they may not assist examinees in completing their tests in any way; they may not engage in personal activities; they may not smoke while invigilating; they must be present on time and continuously in the examination room to perform the following tasks in sequence:

- Record the registration number in the seat of each candidate. After each session, change the seating arrangement of the candidates.

- When signaled, one invigilator calls examinees into the examination room, the second checks the items the examinees bring into the room, and guides them to sit in designated seats. Absolutely no prohibited materials or items may be brought into the examination room as stipulated in Article 22 of these Regulations. Use the admission card and DSA for identification and verification of examinees.

- Sign the examination papers and rough work papers of the candidates. Guide candidates to fold the examination papers correctly, write down the registration number, and fill out all necessary sections on the examination papers and rough work papers before starting the exam.

- When signaled, one invigilator collects the test papers, another reminds examinees of examination room discipline.

- When signaled, an invigilator brings the test papers into the examination room, holding the envelope up so that examinees can clearly see both sides of the envelope still sealed.

- Open the envelope containing the test papers and distribute the pre-printed test papers to each examinee (before distribution, check the number of test papers; if there are excess, missing, or mixed papers, immediately report to the Examination Center Director for handling). .

- If copying the test questions is required, one invigilator reads and writes the questions on the board while the other oversees the process. Subsequently, the second person reads and verifies the questions while the other oversees. Only read aloud enough for clarity, write clearly and accurately, and copy verbatim without summarizing or adding/subtracting. Then hand the test papers to examinees for self-checking. The Examination Center Director must visit each examination room to verify the copying process.

Invigilators must protect the test papers during the exam, preventing them from leaving the examination room. Invigilators and other examination staff may not discuss, copy, solve, take out, or explain test questions to examinees.

- When examinees begin answering questions, one invigilator compares the photograph in the admission card to identify examinees, while the other oversees the room. During the exam, one person oversees from the front to the back of the room, and the other from the back to the front until the end of the exam. Invigilators should not stand close to examinees while they are working.

- If an examinee asks a question, invigilators may only answer publicly within the prescribed scope.

- Examinees may leave the examination room earliest after two-thirds of the allotted time for the subject has passed. If an examinee experiences unexpected illness or has a legitimate need to temporarily leave the examination room, the invigilator must inform the examination room supervisor to promptly report to the Examination Center Director for resolution.

- If an examinee violates discipline, the invigilator must prepare a record of the incident and handle it according to regulations. In case of unusual situations, immediately report to the Examination Center Director or the Examination Board Director for resolution.

- Fifteen minutes before the end of the exam time, inform candidates accordingly.

- When the signal to end the exam is given, instruct examinees to stop working and collect all papers, including those of examinees who have been disciplined. One invigilator oversees the room while calling out each examinee's name to turn in their papers, while the other collects the papers. Upon collection, count the number of sheets submitted by each examinee, ask them to correctly record the number of sheets and sign the attendance list. Only allow examinees to leave the room after all papers have been collected.

- Examiners shall arrange examination papers in order of registration numbers. Any disciplinary records (if any) must be attached to the examinee's examination papers. Examination papers shall be handed over to the member of the Examination Board immediately after each session. Each envelope containing examination papers must be publicly inspected and cross-checked against the number of papers and pages with the tracking sheet and disciplinary records (if any).

- After handing over, each envelope containing examination papers shall be sealed on the spot by members of the Examination Board. Each envelope shall have three seals affixed to the center of its three edges. On each label, the sealing stamp shall be placed on both the right and left sides of the label (half of the stamp on the label and half on the examination paper envelope). The member of the Examination Board receiving the handover and two examiners shall clearly write their names and sign on the seal label.

Absolutely no confusion or loss of examination papers shall occur.

2. Examination room supervisors

Supervisors shall represent the Examination Center Head to regularly supervise examiners, security personnel, and examinees; check and remind examiners to thoroughly collect any materials and technical devices brought into the examination room in violation of regulations; prepare disciplinary records for examiners and examinees who violate these regulations.

3. Security officers, police officers (and control officers if military personnel are assigned)

- Personnel assigned to guard a specific area are only responsible for maintaining order and security in that area and shall not operate in other areas.

- No unauthorized persons shall enter the examination area or approach the examination room; they shall not leave their posts; they shall not entertain guests while on duty; they shall not enter the examination room; they shall not communicate with examinees.

- Report promptly to the Examination Center Head about any situations occurring during the examination for timely handling.

- Specifically, police officers assigned to support the Examination Boards also have the responsibility to escort and ensure the safety of examination questions and papers.

4. Medical staff

- Be present throughout the examination period at the location designated by the Examination Board to handle cases where examinees fall ill.

- When the Examination Center Head announces that an examinee has fallen seriously ill during the examination, medical staff must arrive immediately to provide prompt treatment or take them to the hospital for emergency care if necessary.

- Strictly prohibit the abuse of on-site medical services to engage in actions violating these regulations.

Article 22. Duties and responsibilities of examinees during the examination period

1. One day before the examination (except for specialized schools with specific regulations), examinees must be present at the registered school to complete registration procedures:

- Present a temporary graduation certificate (for examinees who have just taken the graduation examination) or a copy of the graduation certificate (for those who graduated in previous years).

- Pay the examination fee.

- Receive the examination card (if the notification form does not include the examination card).

- Attend the examination room and listen to the announcement of examination regulations.

If there are errors or mistakes regarding name, surname, middle name, preferential status, etc., the examinee must report to the Examination Board for immediate correction. In case of losing the examination card or other necessary documents, the examinee must report and make a commitment for the Examination Center Head to consider under the delegation of the Chief Examiner.

2. Examinees must be present at the examination venue on the specified date and time. If an examinee arrives more than 15 minutes late after the test has been opened, they will not be allowed to take the examination. Examinees must complete all subjects prescribed by the school to be considered for selection.

3. Upon entering the examination room, examinees must comply with the following rules:

- Present the examination card to the examiner upon entering the examination room.

- Only pencils, pens, compasses, erasers, rulers, calculators without alphabetic keys, unused blotting paper, and scratch paper (if the school does not provide scratch paper) may be brought into the examination room. Scratch paper must bear the signature of the examiner to be used.

- It is strictly prohibited to bring carbon paper, erasing pens, materials, weapons, explosive, flammable substances, technical devices for transmitting information, recording devices, and other items into the examination room. Smoking and using stimulants are not allowed in the examination room.

- Write down the full registration number (both the alphabetic and numeric parts) on the examination paper and scratch paper before starting the examination and must request signatures from both examiners on both the examination paper and scratch paper.

- Answers must be written clearly and neatly, without being crumpled or marked with personal symbols. It is strictly forbidden to write answers in two different ink colors, pencil, or red ink (except for circles drawn with a compass which can be done with a pencil). Parts that are written incorrectly must be crossed out with a ruler.

- Protect your own answers and strictly prohibit any form of cheating.

- If any questions need to be asked of the examiner, they must be asked openly. Maintain order and silence in the examination room. In case of sudden illness, report to the examiner for handling according to Article 21 of this Regulation.

- Upon completion of the examination time, stop working and submit the paper to the examiner. Even if unable to complete the paper, the examinee must still submit the examination paper. When submitting the paper, the examinee must clearly record the number of examination sheets submitted and sign the tracking sheet. Scratch paper cannot be submitted instead of the examination paper.

- Examinees have the right to detect and report violations of the admission regulations for the Examination Board to handle promptly.

Article 23. Handling cases of incorrect test questions, printing errors, copying errors onto the board, or leaking test questions

1. When discovering any errors, the invigilator must jointly with the Head of the Examination Venue prepare a record and promptly report to the Head of the Question Board and the Chairman of the Admissions Council of the school for consideration and decision on handling.

Depending on the nature and severity of the error, whether it occurs in one or multiple questions of the test, in one or multiple examination rooms, and depending on the time of discovery, the Chairman of the Admissions Council of the school must consider and decide on handling according to one of the following options:

- Order timely correction of the errors and inform the examinees but do not extend the examination time.

- Order correction, inform candidates, and extend the examination time for candidates.

- Do not correct, allow the examinees to continue the examination, but handle during marking (answers and grading scales may be adjusted accordingly).

- Organize a re-examination.

2. In case of test question leakage, the Chairman of the Admissions Council of the school decides to suspend the examination subject that has been leaked, and inform the examinees. Other examination sessions will continue normally according to the schedule. The examination subject with leaked questions will be held immediately after the last session.

After the examination, the Chairman of the Admissions Council of the school works with the local Public Security Department to verify and conclude the cause of the leak, the person responsible for the leak, and those involved, and proceed to pursue responsibility and report to the Ministry of Education and Training.

Section 3: MARKING WORK

Article 24. Marking Area

The marking area includes the marking location and the storage location for answer sheets. The marking location and the storage location need to be arranged close together, isolated from the outside, continuously guarded day and night, and equipped with fire prevention, security, and preservation facilities.

The door is locked with two different locks, the Head of the Marking Subject holds the key to one lock, and the other key is given to the Secretary Board member to hold. The door can only be opened when both key holders are present.

Absolutely no personal documents, papers, or communication devices may be brought into the marking area.

Article 25. Marking Process

The Head of the Marking Board approves individual marking sheets designed to match the answers and detailed grading scales for each subject.

Before implementing the two independent marking rounds, the Head of the Marking Subject convenes the marking officers to mark according to the provisions of Account 5 of Article 13 of this Regulation. Strictly prohibit the use of erasing pens during marking.

1. First Marking Round

After numbering, separating, and matching the answer sheets, the Secretary Board and the Head of the Marking Subject organize for the marking officers to draw lots for the answer sheet bags and record the bag symbol of the drawn lot on the receipt list. The marking officer checks the number of answer sheets, pages, and numbers in each answer sheet while signing the drawing list before marking. Only valid answer sheets should be marked. Answer sheets done on paper different from the examination paper, on scratch paper, with two different handwriting styles or scribbles, marked, or written in two different ink colors should not be marked.

During the first marking round, the marking officer crosses out all remaining blank parts of the paper that the examinee did not write on and absolutely does not write anything on the examinee's answer sheet. Component scores, total score, and comments (if any) are recorded on the marking sheet of each answer sheet simultaneously, and the marking officer clearly records their name and signature on each sheet.

Upon completion of marking a bag, the marking officer directly hands over the answer sheet bag and all marking sheets to the Secretary Board.

2. Second Marking Round

After completing the first marking round, the Secretary Board retains the set of marking sheets and, together with the Head of the Marking Subject, continues to have the marking officers draw lots for the answer sheet bags to mark the second round, and proceed similarly to the first marking round but must take measures to ensure that the answer sheet bags do not return to the original marker.

The second round marker directly marks the candidate's answer sheet. They record component scores, total scores, and sign their full name on the candidate's answer sheet.

Upon completion of marking a bag, the marking officer directly hands over the bag to the Secretary Board.

Article 26. Grading Scale and Point Handling

1. Grading Scale

The grading scale for examinations is out of 10 points. Minor points can be awarded up to 0.25 points. If the total score has a remainder of 0.25, it will be rounded to 0.5. If the total score has a remainder of 0.75, it will be rounded to 1.0.

For special subjects, a different grading scale may be applied, but the total score must be converted to a 10-point scale and then multiplied by the specified coefficient. Graders only grade according to the 10-point scale. The calculation of coefficients is performed by computer.

Graders give scores strictly according to the grading scale and officially approved answers, without rounding off scores during the grading process. For correct answers with creative or unique solutions different from those in the answers, additional points may be awarded. The level of additional points is proposed by the grader and decided by the Head of the Examination Board, but the additional points cannot exceed 1 point per answer.

2. Handling Grading Results and Writing Examination Grading Records

The Secretariat compares the results of two independent grading sessions and handles them as follows:

a) If two graders give the same score, the examination papers will be handed over to these two graders to agree on the rounding of scores, record the scores on the examination paper, and sign the Form No. 4.

In cases where the total score is the same or differs by 0.25 points but the component scores differ, both graders will recheck and agree on the correct score according to the prescribed answers.

b) If the results of the two grading sessions differ by 0.5 points or more, the examination paper will be withdrawn along with the first grading sheet and given to the Head of the Examination Board to organize a third direct grading session using a different ink color.

If the results of any two out of three grading sessions are the same, that score will be taken as the final score. If the results of all three grading sessions differ, the Head of the Examination Board will take the average of the three scores as the final score. The Head of the Examination Board will round off the score, record it on the examination paper, and sign the Form No. 4.

Any incorrect bonus points must be corrected immediately.

Schools that have contracts with other schools for grading or cross-grading must negotiate their plans and costs but still comply with the regulations on grading set forth in this Regulation.

Article 27. Management of Examination Scores Before Announcing Selection Results

Prior to announcing selection results, all materials related to examination scores must be sealed and directly managed by the Head of the Examination Secretariat.

It is strictly prohibited to adjust scores upward or disclose scores before announcing selection scores.

Section 4: APPEAL AND REVIEW OF APPEALS

Article 28. Organization of Rechecking and Resolution of Appeals Regarding Examination Scores

1. Time Limit for Rechecking

After announcing examination scores, the Admissions Board will only accept appeals regarding examination scores from candidates within 15 days from the date of announcement and must respond to the appellant no later than 20 days from the date of receipt (except for special subjects). Candidates requesting a recheck must pay the fee as stipulated by the school. If the score needs to be corrected after the recheck according to this Regulation, the Admissions Board will refund the recheck fee to the candidate.

2. Organization of Appeals

a) The organization of rechecks is conducted subject by subject under the direct management of the Head of the Rechecking Board. The working area of the Rechecking Board is designated by the Chairman of the Admissions Board and is also protected like the grading area.

b) Before handing over the examination papers to the Rechecking Board, the Secretariat of the Admissions Board will carry out the following tasks:

- Refer to Form 3 to find the examination number from the registration number. Retrieve the examination paper and compare it with the candidate tracking list to verify the examination paper number.

- Conduct a preliminary check on the condition of the examination papers, compare the parts requested for rechecking in the papers and the appeal forms. Sum up the component scores and compare them with the announced scores to detect any errors or irregularities. If any abnormalities are found, a report will be made to the Chairman of the Admissions Board for decision.

- Collect all papers of a subject into one or several bags, clearly marking the number of papers and pages in each bag, and hand them over to the Rechecking Board. The handover procedures follow the same regulations as the initial grading session.

- During the process, at least two people must be present. Strictly ensure confidentiality between registration numbers and examination numbers, the origin of the examination papers, and avoid mixing examination papers.

- Rechecking is carried out independently by two examiners directly marking the candidate's work with a different colored ink.

c) The scores of examination papers after rechecking will be handled by the Secretariat as follows:

- If the results of the two rechecking sessions give the same score, the examination papers will be handed over to the Head of the Rechecking Board to round off the score, record the score on the examination paper, and sign to confirm the official score.

- If the results of the two rechecking sessions differ, the examination paper will be withdrawn and given to the Head of the Rechecking Board to organize a third direct rechecking session using a different ink color.

- If the results of any two out of three rechecking sessions are the same, that score will be taken as the official score. If the results of all three rechecking sessions differ, the Head of the Rechecking Board will take the average of the three scores as the final score. The Head of the Rechecking Board will round off the score and sign to confirm the official score on the examination paper.

In cases where a candidate changes from not being admitted to being admitted (or vice versa) after rechecking, the Admissions Board must organize a direct dialogue between the initial graders and the recheckers for all examination papers of the candidate whose scores were adjusted. If the Admissions Board confirms that the initial grading was incorrect to the extent mentioned above, the Admissions Board will publicly announce the list of initial graders to learn from the experience or handle any negative behavior according to Article 35 of this Regulation.

The rechecked score after the dialogue between the two sets of graders and confirmed by the Head of the Rechecking Board and signed by the Chairman of the Admissions Board is the official score of the examination paper.

3. Adjustment of Examination Scores

After announcing examination scores, if any mistakes or errors in the scores of examination papers are discovered, the Rechecking Board must review and adjust the scores (up or down) in the following cases:

Recording or entering scores in the grading form inaccurately.

- Lost examination papers now found or missing examination papers due to the fault of the Admissions Board which have been supplemented and graded.

- Scores after rechecking have been confirmed by the Chairman of the Admissions Board as the official score.

Adjusted scores, approved by the Head of the Rechecking Board and decided by the Chairman of the Admissions Board, will be reported to the Ministry of Education and Training (or the Department of Education and Training for local schools) and notified to the candidate.

Article 29. Reviewing the Results of Re-examination

After receiving the report on the results of re-examination from the Admissions Board of the school, if deemed necessary, the Ministry of Education and Training shall establish a Review Board for the Results of Re-examination. The Review Board of the Ministry shall be chaired by the Director of the Department of Vocational Secondary Education and Training, and its members shall consist of competent staff and teachers who are not working at the school where the examination papers need to be reviewed.

The Review Board of the Ministry of Education and Training has the final authority to decide on the official score of the examination paper after consulting with the Admissions Board of the school.

Chapter 4:

SELECTION AND CONVOCATION OF ADMISSION CANDIDATES

Article 30. Regulations on Establishing Selection Scores

Based on the enrollment quota assigned and announced by the Ministry of Education and Training, after deducting the number of students admitted directly and transferred, based on the statistical scores provided by computers for different categories and regions participating in the exam; based on the framework of preferential score ranges, the Secretariat of the Admissions Board will propose several selection plans according to the unified model in Appendix 2 of this Regulation for the Chairman of the Admissions Board of the school to consider. Schools enrolling students by major must establish separate selection score tables for each major.

In cases where candidates apply to multiple schools, the schools are permitted to establish selection scores for regular program admissions with appropriate reserve ratios and may not exceed 30% of the quota.

When the number of candidates admitted in the first round does not meet the required number, the school will supplement by lowering the selection score by 0.5 points, 1 point, 1.5 points... uniformly for all categories and regions until the required number of candidates is met.

If lowering the selection score uniformly for all categories and regions at a certain level leads to exceeding the number, the school can lower the selection score separately for each category and region in the following priority order: Region 1 Priority 1, Region 1 Priority 2, Region 2 Priority 1, Region 2 Priority 2, Region 3 Priority 1, Region 3 Priority 2...

For majors that are difficult to recruit in schools recruiting by major, after determining the selection score at the permissible level according to the training requirements of the school but still falling short of the required number, the school is allowed to admit candidates who did not pass other majors but achieved the specified score and voluntarily enroll in the under-subscribed major. If the number of those meeting the transfer criteria exceeds the quota, they will be selected based on their test scores from highest to lowest until the required number is reached through a public process.

Article 31. Determining Selection Scores and Reporting Scores to Candidates

Based on the proposed selection score table by the Secretariat of the Admissions Board, the Chairman of the Admissions Board of the school decides on the selection score so that the number of candidates admitted and enrolled does not exceed the assigned quota. If the determined selection score is unreasonable and significantly exceeds the quota, the Ministry of Education and Training will require the Admissions Board to re-determine the selection score. Before the Chairman of the Admissions Board of the school signs off on the selection score, it is necessary to report and seek opinions from the managing agency (for central schools), the Department of Education and Training (for local schools), and the Ministry of Education and Training (Department of Vocational Secondary Education and Training).

In cases where candidates are missing scores due to errors by the Admissions Board of the school resulting in lost examination papers, the Chairman of the Admissions Board of the school is responsible for informing the relevant ministry or sector (for central schools), the Department of Education and Training (for local schools), and the candidate about the decision to organize supplementary exams and the time for the supplementary exams. The costs for candidates' travel and participation in supplementary exams shall be borne by the Admissions Board of the school. Candidates who do not participate in the supplementary exam will not be considered for admission.

In cases where candidates are missing scores due to errors by the Admissions Board of the school, but the total scores of the remaining subjects are equal to or higher than the selection score for the school they applied to for their respective regions, the Chairman of the Admissions Board of the school will report the admission score to the candidate without needing to organize a supplementary exam.

Article 32. Summoning Successful Candidates to the School

1. The Chairman of the Admissions Council shall directly review the list of successful candidates admitted to the school and issue summonses for the candidates to attend the school. The summons must clearly state the necessary conditions for the candidates to complete the enrollment procedures.

2. Prior to formal enrollment, candidates must undergo a comprehensive health check organized by the school. The medical examination must be conducted in accordance with the guidelines of the Ministry of Education and Training and the Ministry of Health. The health examination certificate shall be issued by the school's Medical Examination Board and supplemented into the student management file.

3. Successful candidates must submit the following documents:

a) Academic record.

b) Temporary graduation certificate for those who are admitted immediately upon graduation, or present the graduation diploma (and submit a copy) for those who have graduated in previous years. Those who submit a temporary certificate must present the original graduation diploma at the beginning of the next academic year for verification.

c) Birth Certificate.

d) Certificates confirming preferential status (if applicable) such as certificates for children of martyrs, disabled veteran cards, certificates for benefits equivalent to disabled veterans for parents or themselves, permanent resident registration of the candidate...

For the documents mentioned in points a, b, c, and d above, schools need to collect valid copies.

e) Admission Notification.

f) Admission file (according to the pre-printed form of the Ministry of Education and Training).

4. Candidates who delay enrollment at the school beyond 15 days without a valid reason from the start date of the academic year will not be accepted. If the delay is due to illness or accidents, with confirmation from a county-level hospital or higher, the schools will consider and decide on acceptance for enrollment or retention of points for enrollment in the following year without retaking the exam.

5. Candidates who are admitted but prevented from attending school by their localities have the right to appeal to the People's Committee of the province or centrally-administered city and the Ministry of Education and Training. Only the Chairman of the People's Committee of the province or centrally-administered city has the authority to issue a decision to retain students, but must explain to the party the reasons and legal basis for the decision.

In cases where the locality or school fails to resolve issues properly and the student appeals, after joint consideration by relevant central and local authorities, the Ministry of Education and Training will make the final decision regarding the student's education.

Article 33. Checking Examination Results and Admission Files of Successful Candidates

After the admissions examination period, schools must conduct checks on the legality of all examination results of candidates admitted to their institution; implementation of this Regulation in all stages: marking work, comparing scores on the examination paper with scores recorded in the marking report, scorebook, and examination result notification. If violations of the regulations or suspicious cases are discovered, a report should be prepared and submitted to the Principal to take appropriate measures to verify and handle according to this Regulation.

During the process of collecting files or during the time students are studying at the school, if fake files are discovered, they should be reported to the school leadership for handling according to this Regulation.

 

Chapter 5:

REWARD AND VIOLATION HANDLING

Article 34. Awards

Individuals who have made significant contributions and actively completed their assigned admission tasks excellently, depending on specific achievements, may be commended by the Chairman of the Admissions Council or recommended for commendation by the Ministry of Education and Training, the People's Committee of the province or centrally-administered city.

The award fund is taken from the admissions budget.

Article 35. Handling Admissions Staff Violating Regulations

1. Those involved in admissions work who commit acts violating this Regulation (discovered during duty performance or after the admissions examination), if there is sufficient evidence, will be subject to criticism and appropriate disciplinary action according to the forms of discipline stipulated in the Civil Servant Law, depending on the severity of the violation. Specifically:

a) Reprimand: applicable to those who commit minor offenses while performing their duties.

b) Warning: applicable to those who violate any of the following offenses:

- Altering candidate's application materials to misrepresent information.

- Preparing examination questions that do not conform to the curriculum or exceed the scope of the curriculum for the target group.

- Intentionally allowing candidates to cheat, bring and use materials or communication devices such as recording or transmitting equipment in the examination room, which is detected by the examination room supervisor or the admissions inspection staff.

- Writing the examination questions on the board with errors but failing to promptly correct them.

- Losing examination papers during collection, movement, or marking.

- Marking examinations or adding points with numerous errors.

- Revealing candidates' scores before the Admissions Council officially announces the selection scores.

c. Depending on the severity of the violation, they may face demotion in rank, reduction in pay grade, dismissal (if they are civil servants), or forced withdrawal from studies (if they are students supervising the examination) for committing any of the following offenses:

- Setting incorrect questions.

- Participating in negative actions such as leaking examination questions or bringing solutions into the examination room during the examination.

- Directly solving questions and guiding individuals or groups of candidates during the examination period.

- Cheating when marking examinations. Giving incorrect scores, exceeding the range, or lowering candidates' scores.

2. Forced termination of employment or prosecution applies to individuals who commit any of the following offenses during the process of preparing examination questions, supervising examinations, collecting papers, storing, inventorying, unsealing, transferring examination papers, marking examinations, recording scores in the marking report, compiling the list of summoned successful candidates:

- Leaking exam questions, buying or selling exam questions.

- Altering candidates' answers;

- Unauthorized correction of scores on examination papers, marking sheets, or score lists;

- Swapping candidates' examination papers, identification numbers, or scores;

- Deception in selecting and summoning successful candidates (including actions such as altering academic records, cheating in bonus point calculations, or graduation examination scores for secondary or junior high school to admit candidates through direct admission or successful admission).

For other illegal acts, handling will be carried out according to the forms mentioned above, depending on the nature, severity, and impact.

In cases where examination questions are leaked, the Principal, Chairman of the Admissions Council, and heads of relevant departments will be subject to disciplinary action ranging from reprimand and warning to forced termination of employment or criminal prosecution, depending on the consequences, impact, and degree of involvement.

3. University, college, vocational high school, secondary school, and junior high school staff, students, and pupils who do not participate in admissions work but engage in negative actions such as proxy testing, organizing the leakage of examination questions, providing solutions to candidates, causing disturbances leading to disorder in the examination area, revealing candidates' scores before the Admissions Council officially announces the selection scores, will be subject to disciplinary action ranging from warning to forced termination of employment (if they are civil servants) or suspension of studies for a period or forced withdrawal from studies (if they are students).

The aforementioned disciplinary forms shall be decided by the Rector or the Chairman of the Admissions Council of the school if the violator falls under the management of the school; otherwise, a report shall be made to the local police agency, the Department of Education and Training, or the Ministry of Education and Training for appropriate measures to be taken. During examination days and marking periods, if the examination supervision teams established according to the Regulations of the Ministry of Education and Training discover clear violations of the Regulations, they shall prepare on-the-spot records and recommend that the Chairman of the Admissions Council of the school handle the matter in accordance with these Regulations.

4. The Chairman of the Admissions Council of the school and relevant staff members of the Examination Question Committee, the Marking Committee of the school, or teachers who undertake examination questions for other schools shall be subject to corresponding disciplinary actions if they violate current regulations regarding question setting and marking.

Article 36. Handling Candidates Who Violate the Regulations

For candidates violating these Regulations, a record must be established and disciplinary action taken according to the following forms based on the severity of the violation:

1. Reprimand: applicable to candidates who commit offenses once, such as looking at another candidate's paper; exchanging or discussing with another candidate (this form of discipline is decided by the invigilator). A candidate reprimanded in a particular subject will have 25% deducted from their score for that subject.

2. Warning: applicable to candidates who violate any of the following offenses:

- Having been reprimanded once but continuing to violate the Regulations during the examination period of that subject.

- Bringing weapons, explosive, flammable substances, beer, alcohol, or other harmful items into the examination room.

- Exchanging answer sheets or scratch paper with another candidate.

- Copying another person's answers where it has been concluded that the papers are identical; such cases will be treated equally. If the person being disciplined can provide sufficient evidence to prove that they were actually copied, the Chairman of the Admissions Council may consider reducing the penalty from a warning to a reprimand.

A candidate warned in a particular subject will have 50% deducted from their score for that subject.

The warning disciplinary form shall be recorded by the invigilator, confiscated evidence, and decided upon.

3. Suspension from Examination: applicable to candidates who violate any of the following offenses:

- Having been warned once but continuing to violate the Regulations during the examination period of that subject.

- After opening the examination paper, still found carrying: study materials; technical devices for receiving, transmitting, recording audio.

- Taking the examination paper out of the examination room or bringing solutions from outside into the examination room.

- Writing slogans or scribbling on examination papers.

- Engaging in behavior to snatch another candidate's examination paper.

- Engaging in aggressive behavior or threatening examination officials or other candidates.

The suspension from examination disciplinary form shall be recorded by the invigilator, confiscated evidence, and decided upon by the Examination Center Director.

A candidate suspended from examination during a particular subject will receive zero (0) points for that subject and must leave the examination room immediately after two-thirds of the allotted time has passed, and will not be allowed to take the next subject or participate in subsequent examinations at other schools in the same year.

4. Disqualification from admission to the school in that year and deprivation of the right to participate in admissions examinations at any schools for the next two years; in serious cases, the relevant authorities may be requested to prosecute before the law those candidates who violate any of the following offenses:

- Misrepresenting information in the application to benefit from preferential policies based on region or category in admissions.

- Using fake graduation certificates.

- Asking others to take the examination or complete the examination on their behalf in any form.

- Engaging in destructive actions during the examination or assaulting examination officials or other candidates.

This disciplinary form shall be decided by the Chairman of the Admissions Council.

For other violations, depending on the nature and degree of violation, the Rector or the Chairman of the Admissions Council of the school shall apply the disciplinary measures as stipulated in this Article.

The record of disciplinary action against candidates must be made known to the candidates and signed by the candidate and two invigilators. If the candidate refuses to sign the record, it remains valid. If there is disagreement between the invigilator and the Examination Center Director regarding the handling method, both parties' opinions shall be clearly noted in the record for reporting to the Examination Supervision Committee Chair for decision.

Article 37. Handling Special Cases Discovered During Grading

The Secretariat and the Examination Committee shall be responsible for identifying and reporting to the Head of the Examination Committee any papers showing signs of violations that need to be addressed, even if there is no report from the Examination Room Supervisors. After the Head of the Examination Committee has reviewed and concluded on the cases of violation, they shall be handled according to the provisions below:

1. Deduct 50% of the total score for papers with clear marking signs confirmed by two graders.

2. Award zero points for papers that are identical; papers done on scratch paper, unauthorized paper, torn or crumpled, or folded abnormally, or submitted two papers for one subject.

For papers damaged by other candidates tearing them apart, if confirmed by two Examination Room Supervisors, separate grading or retesting may be organized for such candidates if necessary.

3. Annulment of Examination Results for Candidates:

- Writing slogans or scribbling on the exam paper.

- Asking someone else to take the exam or complete the exam on their behalf in any form: correcting, adding, or subtracting from the submitted work; using another person's paper to submit.

Chapter 6:

REPORTING AND RECORD KEEPING REGIME

Article 38. Reporting System

After the admission period, schools shall be responsible for sending the following reports to the Ministry of Education and Training and the Department of Education and Training:

- A quick report to the Ministry of Education and Training about the admission examination (using the provided template), including test questions and answers for each subject immediately after the last exam session.

- By November each year, schools shall send to the Ministry of Education and Training a report on the situation and results of admissions, grade books, and lists of successful candidates in the admission examination of that year (using a unified template and on floppy disks); plans for the next year's admissions.

- Grade books and lists of successful candidates after the Admission Committee of the school announces the selection scores to the Departments of Education and Training where candidates who successfully passed the admission examination of that year are enrolled.

Article 39. Preservation System

All admission examination papers and materials related to the admission examination must be kept and preserved during the time students study at the school. At the end of the training program, the Principal shall issue a decision to establish a committee to review and destroy these materials.