Circular No. 9 guiding the implementation of the Examination and Graduation Regulation for Lower Secondary Education

CIRCULAR

OF THE MINISTRY OF EDUCATION DECREE NO. 9-TT ON 28-2-1986

GUIDELINES FOR IMPLEMENTING THE REGULATIONS ON EXAMINATION AND GRADUATION ASSESSMENT

AT THE LOWER SECONDARY LEVEL

On February 28, 1986, the Ministry of Education issued the Examination and Graduation Assessment Regulations for Lower Secondary Schools pursuant to Decision No. 219-QĐ. Based on Article 37 of the Regulations, the Ministry promulgates this Circular to guide the implementation of the Examination and Graduation Assessment Regulations applicable to the graduation examination and assessment at lower secondary schools as follows:

2. Individuals who have registered as the principal investigator of a Research Project or Pilot Production Project and those participating in its implementation shall not participate in the Evaluation and Selection Council for that Research Project or Pilot Production Project (hereinafter referred to as the Council). In necessary cases, members of the Council may be staff members of the organization registering as the principal investigator of the Research Project or Pilot Production Project, but not more than one person and they cannot serve as Chairperson, Vice-Chairperson, or reviewing member.

In Articles 1, 2, and 3 of the Regulations concerning the position, nature, significance, purpose, and criteria for assessing the graduation results of the examination and graduation assessment at lower secondary schools, attention should be paid to the following points:

1. After completing the lower secondary education level, each student must pass an examination and graduation assessment. This is a comprehensive review and evaluation of students after their educational process (training) at the lower secondary level. This review and evaluation is not only conducted within the school but also under the guidance and direction of educational management levels, under the leadership and supervision of party and government levels, and with the participation of social forces outside the school; while adhering to the rules and standards stipulated by the Ministry of Education in the Examination and Graduation Assessment Regulations. Therefore, the examination and graduation assessment at the lower secondary level is a comprehensive, unified, and objective evaluation by the State.

2. The examination and graduation assessment at the lower secondary level continue and perfect the evaluation of the educational level of students throughout the lower secondary education period according to the training objectives. Therefore, the academic performance and discipline of students at the end of the lower secondary level and the results of their examination papers during the examination period are important bases for graduation assessment. The academic performance and discipline of students in the final grade II class serve as the basis for:

- Assessing eligibility to take the examination;

- Combining with the examination results to recognize graduation from the lower secondary level.

3. Article 4 of the Regulations affirms the role, responsibility, and authority of the teaching staff of the school in evaluating the overall quality of education of students, in organizing and grading examinations, and conducting graduation assessments. At the same time, it also affirms the role of the Communist Youth Union Ho Chi Minh and the Ho Chi Minh Pioneer Organization in coordinating and contributing to the school, the Examination and Graduation Assessment Board to implement the Examination and Graduation Assessment Regulations of the Ministry of Education effectively. The school and the Examination and Graduation Assessment Board must have the responsibility to cooperate and create favorable conditions for these organizations to educate members, students in the school about the correct purpose, motivation, learning spirit, attitude, and behavior towards examinations to ensure that the examination and graduation assessment proceed successfully, safely, and thoroughly.

II. ELIGIBILITY AND CONDITIONS FOR EXAMINATION AND GRADUATION ASSESSMENT

1. Apart from the two categories mentioned in Article 5, no other cases need to be considered.

2. The students referred to in Point 2 of Article 5 are those who have completed the final grade II class of the lower secondary level, have taken the examination but did not graduate or did not take the examination due to lack of eligibility and did not continue to repeat the course. These students are eligible to take the examination and graduation assessment.

3. Regarding the eligibility and conditions for examination and graduation assessment stated in Articles 6 and 7, the following points should be noted:

a) The confirmation that a student has completed the curriculum of all classes in grade II must be fully recorded in the academic record book and currently only the grade II classes need to be reviewed. The academic record book must fully record the scores of subjects and the classification of educational aspects for each year of study within the educational level, specifically grades 6, 7, 8, 9 for the North and grades 6, 7, 8 for the South. Any phenomena such as erasing, altering academic records, promoting students incorrectly according to the Regulations, transferring schools and enrolling without proper regulations, etc., are considered as not meeting the eligibility and conditions for examination and graduation assessment. If the Examination and Graduation Assessment Board discovers any phenomena lacking eligibility and conditions for examination and graduation assessment, they must issue a stop examination record, or if the examination is already completed, they must issue a stop grading record or not recognize graduation.

b) The examination of all four conditions for eligibility and graduation assessment stated in Article 6 is conducted for each student and must be carefully considered to accurately assess and promote good educational effects. Counteract negative phenomena and confrontational actions.

Point 2 of Article 6 stipulates that the number of days off in the final grade year should not exceed 45 days, meaning that if a student exceeds this number of days off (whether in one instance or multiple instances combined), they will not be eligible to take the examination and graduation assessment. This condition requires students to strive diligently in their studies.

Points 3 and 4 of Article 6 are provisions regarding the conditions for eligibility and graduation assessment, where all aspects of education must achieve the prescribed results. This promotes schools to actively care for, educate, teach, and encourages students to continuously strive, cultivate, study, and train in all aspects according to the training objectives.

Regarding the classification of cultural performance, it still follows Circular No. 44-TT of the Ministry,

including four types: excellent, good, average, and weak. Specifically, the "weak" category must be divided into two levels: weak (if they make extraordinary efforts, they may reach the average level, specifically as described in Point 4 of Article 6) and poor (those who do not meet the standards as described in Point 4 of Article 6). In terms of examination eligibility (cultural aspect) stipulated in the Regulations, only the "weak" category is accepted. The "poor" category is not eligible to take the examination.

c) The confirmation in the application for examination and graduation assessment for students of previous years as mentioned in Points 1 and 2 of Article 7:

- If the student stays at home to self-study and help the family, then it is confirmed by the People's Committee of the commune (ward, town) where the student resides;

- If the student has been recruited to work at an agency or unit, production facility, then it is confirmed by the head of the agency or unit responsible.

For students from previous school years who did not take the exam due to lack of cultural conditions (or physical health maintenance and training) or who took the exam but did not pass, it is only necessary to have an opinion confirming their moral character during the period they were not continuing their studies at school and a proposal for them to be allowed to take the exam and be considered for graduation, confirmed and stamped on the application form for taking the exam and being considered for graduation by the local authority or the head of the unit mentioned above.

For students from previous school years who did not take the exam due to insufficient moral or labor conditions, in addition to having the aforementioned proposal, they must also be confirmed by the local authority (commune, ward, town) or the management agency about their awareness and attitude in implementing the Party's policies and State's policies, their spirit and labor consciousness or social work, on the application form.

d) To facilitate students from previous school years (who did not meet the conditions to take the exam due to cultural reasons) who do not continue their studies, these students only need to be examined again by the school that accepted their application for taking the exam and being considered for graduation. This school will specify and notify each student about the subjects that need to be re-examined and the date and time to come to school for the examination together with students currently studying in the final term of the second semester according to the current regulations. The notification must be made at least 15 days before the examination of the second semester of the school. The results of the re-examination will replace the average score of the year recorded in the academic record for the subject to consider the cultural condition for taking the exam. The principal must sign to confirm the supplementation of the re-examination scores in the academic record and confirm meeting the cultural condition for taking the exam, while serving as the basis for applying to retake the exam in subsequent years (if the student still needs to retake the exam).

e) Generally, the current Regulation does not specify the age limit for students currently enrolled to take the exam, because cases where students are under (or over) the age limit for taking the exam are not only caused by the students and their families, but also due to errors by the school in admitting students, especially in the first grade of secondary education... Therefore, for such cases, if it is not due to errors caused by the students and their families, they are still allowed to take the exam, while the school must conduct an assessment, assign specific responsibilities, and take measures to prevent and stop this phenomenon from the next admission year.

Point 1, Clause a of Article 7 stipulates that the maximum age for taking the exam and graduating for old students is 20 years old. This is the maximum age for a student to be allowed to study in secondary education, including one year of repeating a year according to the current regulation of the Ministry of Education and three years of military service.

g) For cases where students do not meet the conditions to take the exam and the relevant documents and procedures are incomplete, and the school cannot decide, they must report to the Department of Education for a decision. If the Department of Education cannot make a decision, it must report to the Provincial Department of Education. While waiting for a response from the higher authority, if the exam day arrives, the students should still be allowed to take the exam to avoid disadvantage to the students. However, if the higher authority later determines that the students do not meet the conditions to take the exam, the marking or graduation review process will be stopped.

For students who do not meet the conditions to take the exam and graduate, the school must send a letter to inform the student's family 10 days before the exam date (as specified in the regulations) so that the family understands the reason and agrees with the school to cooperate in further education.

The deadline and procedures for registering to take the exam and graduate for old students must be announced early by the school so that students and their families can know and have enough time to prepare and submit the application form within the specified deadline (as stipulated in Article 7).

III. STUDENT APPLICATIONS FOR EXAMINATION AND GRADUATION

Article 8 specifies the applications for examination and graduation of students. These applications must be completed fully by the school at least five days before the exam date, including the following documents:

a) A name and score sheet prepared according to the prescribed model in the examination guidelines, in three copies.

b) The original academic record (not a copy)

c) A copy of the birth certificate

d) Certificate of policy and care category if applicable.

e) Student card issued by the school.

Specifically, the application of old students (as mentioned in Point 2 of Article 5) includes the following documents:

a) An application for taking the exam and being considered for graduation written by the student, accompanied by confirmation and recommendation from the local authority (commune, ward, town) or the managing agency.

b) The original academic record

c) A copy of the birth certificate

d) Certificate of re-examination and confirmation of meeting the cultural condition for taking the exam issued by the school (where the student registered for the exam). Only students from previous school years who did not meet the cultural condition for taking the exam need this certificate. This certificate is valid for future exams and graduation reviews (if the student still needs to retake the exam).

e) Student card issued by the school where the student registered for the exam. If the student already has a card from the previous school, it must be supplemented with confirmation from the school where the student registered for the exam.

2. When implementing Article 8 regarding the applications for examination and graduation of students, attention should be paid to the following points:

a) The copy of the birth certificate must be issued by the People's Committee from commune, ward, or town level or higher. The numbers of the date, month, year of birth, surname, given name, middle name, etc., recorded in the birth certificate must be accurate and consistent. In case of loss or inconsistency in the content, it must be promptly established or adjusted. Any establishment or adjustment must be confirmed by the People's Committee of the commune, ward, or town. The school will base its other documents and applications for examination and graduation on the result of the confirmation of the student's birth certificate.

b) Certificates of policy and care category for additional graduation or special graduation must ensure the following procedures:

- Certificate of being a child of烈士牺牲子女（烈士的子女）由县级（区级、市级）以上退役军人事务局颁发；

- Military service completion certificate issued by the County Military Service Office (or equivalent);

- Certificate of having served in voluntary youth corps or national defense services issued by county-level Youth Union (or equivalent) or higher;

- Certificate of having relocated to new economic zones pursuant to State policy issued by People's Committee at the county level (or equivalent) or higher;

- Certificate of participation in international competitions (languages, athletics, etc.) issued by the Ministry of Education or central governmental agencies that have selected participants;

- Students who fall ill before the examination period and are unable to take part in the examination and graduation assessment must have medical records, illness certificates from healthcare authorities or hospitals at the county level (or equivalent) or higher;

- For students who fall ill or encounter sudden incidents during the examination period and cannot continue the exam, such as falling ill while taking the test, the health staff serving the examination period and the Chairman of the Examination and Graduation Assessment Board must confirm this; if they fall ill at home and need hospital treatment, the hospital must issue a confirmation certificate; for sudden incidents occurring during the exam such as accidents or the death of immediate family members (parents, siblings), there must be a record from the Examination and Graduation Assessment Board, and simultaneously, confirmation from the People's Committee of the locality where the student resides (or equivalent) or from the healthcare authority (or infirmary, hospital) where the student received treatment;

c) After approving former students to sit for the examination and graduation assessment, the school receiving their applications shall prepare a list of these students. The list of these students must be recorded on the final examination room roll and score sheet of the Examination and Graduation Assessment Board, or a separate roll and score sheet for these candidates may be established if the number of students currently enrolled in the final examination room exceeds the prescribed limit;

d) A separate roll and score sheet (with three copies) must be prepared for all students eligible for special graduation assessment, accompanied by the required certification documents as specified above;

IV. SUBJECTS, DATES, CURRICULUM AND EXAM QUESTIONS

1. Regarding annual subjects, examination dates, the Ministry will notify the Department of Education via official letters, and also announce through radio, television, and press 45 days prior to the examination date;

2. The content and curriculum of the examination cover the entire grade level, but mainly focus on the final year of secondary school. The Ministry of Education provides guidance on key areas. Departments should organize and direct schools to conduct comprehensive review sessions for students according to this guidance for all subjects, avoiding the situation where students only focus on examination subjects;

3. The Ministry of Education provides specific guidelines for Departments on how to set examination questions and marking methods, which Departments must follow to organize examinations, marking instructions, and grading scales. These guidelines must be implemented correctly and strictly. If local conditions require deviation from the Ministry's guidelines, the Department must seek approval from the Ministry in writing before implementation;

4. Article 11 of the Regulation stipulates that the Director of the Department of Education is responsible for organizing the setting of the final examination questions for general education. The Department of Education submits to the Provincial People's Committee, City People's Committee, or Special Administrative Region under the Central Government to establish the Examination Question Setting Board, consisting of the following components:

- Chairperson of the Board: Director of the Department of Education;

- Vice-Chairperson of the Board: Deputy Director of the Department or Head of the General Education Division of the Department;

- Secretary of the Board: Deputy Head of the Division or a specialized staff member of the General Education Division of the Department;

- Members of the Board: specialized staff members of the Department with capability, understanding of teaching and learning conditions in general education schools, good moral character, and high sense of responsibility. Each subject question draft will be handled by a team consisting of two to three board members;

The tasks, principles, and working procedures of the Examination Question Setting Board are carried out as outlined in Directive No. 14-CT dated April 21, 1981, of the Ministry of Education regarding examination question setting work for general education final exams;

V. GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS AND GRADUATION RANKING STANDARDS

The Regulation stipulates graduation requirements and ranking standards, fundamentally based on the principle of combining evaluations of all aspects of education throughout the academic year in the final grade with examination scores. When applying graduation requirements and standards, attention should be paid to the following issues:

1. All graduation requirements consider two criteria:

a) Educational ranking results;

b) Examination scores.

If a requirement does not specify a ranking result for one or more educational aspects, it means that the ranking result for that aspect must meet the minimum requirement as stated in the examination and graduation assessment conditions.

Example 1: Point 1, Article 13 states: "Students ranked as average or better in morality, labor, physical protection and training in the final grade of secondary school and have an average score of 5 points or higher across all subjects, with no subject scoring zero, will be recognized for additional graduation," meaning that the cultural education ranking result must belong to one of the categories mentioned in Point 4 of Article 6.

Example 2: Point 2, Article 13 states: "Students ranked as fairly good or better in morality, culture, labor in the final grade of secondary school and have an average score of 4.5 points or higher across all subjects, with no subject scoring zero, will be recognized for additional graduation," meaning that the ranking result for physical protection and training must be average or better.

2. In any case, students with a score of zero in any subject are not eligible for graduation (either regular or additional). In any case, students with a score of 1 or 2 in any subject, even if the average score across all subjects is 5 points or higher, are not eligible for regular graduation,

but can only be considered for additional graduation. This encourages students to study evenly across all subjects, rather than focusing solely on one subject.

3. Students who achieve graduation results will be classified into four types: excellent, good, average, and regular according to the criteria specified in Article 15. The classification results must be fully and clearly recorded in a separate column in the register of names and scores, in the student record book, and on the graduation certificate of each student.

When applying the criteria mentioned in Article 15, attention should be paid to the following points:

- In the criteria for the excellent classification, it is stipulated that only one exam score must be from 6 points or higher, which means that all remaining exams must score 7 points or higher.

- In the criteria for the good classification, the provision at point a states that only one exam score must be from 5 points or higher, which means that all remaining exams must score 6 points or higher; the provision at point b states that only two exam scores must be from 5 points or higher, with only one being either literature or mathematics, which means that all remaining exams must score 6 points or higher.

4. For students recognized as graduating in the excellent category, the Examination and Graduation Council must prepare a list for the Department of Education to issue commendation certificates.

5. Students who participated in previous examination and graduation periods but did not graduate, and those who were not allowed to take the examination and graduation test in the previous academic year without the opportunity to retake courses, may now be permitted to take the test and will be recognized as having graduated and classified according to the following regulations:

a) They can only be classified as graduating directly (average category) or graduating additionally (regular category).

b) If they meet the standard 1 of Article 12 or higher (being classified as average or above in all aspects of education in the final grade of secondary school and having an average score of 5.0 or higher across all subjects, with no subject scoring below 3), then they will be recognized as graduating directly and classified as average.

c) If their average score across all subjects is 5.0 or higher, with no subject scoring zero, then they will be recognized as graduating additionally and classified as regular.

6. Students who are granted special graduation status will not be classified and the graduation certificate must clearly state "granted special graduation status, no classification."

7. The examination and additional graduation outside the Regulations stated in Article 14: Only when the overall graduation rate of the province is abnormally low will the issue of granting special additional graduation outside the Regulations be considered. At that time, the Department of Education must propose a solution (lowering the average score across all subjects, expanding the conditions for additional graduation) and report and seek approval from the Ministry through a written document. Only after receiving the Ministry's written approval can the process of granting special additional graduation begin. Expanding the conditions for additional graduation outside the Regulations may address the entire province or apply specifically to a particular special area. The deadline for reporting requests for additional graduation outside the Regulations shall not exceed thirty days after the last day of the examination.

8. Handling complaints about examination papers of students.

The examination, marking, and graduation assessment of general basic education are conducted at schools under the guidance, inspection, and supervision of higher authorities. The teaching staff, headed by the Principal of each school, are fully responsible and authorized to assess the comprehensive quality of students' education and organize examinations and graduation assessments within their own schools according to the Ministry of Education's guidelines. Therefore, the work of the Examination and Graduation Council fundamentally ensures accuracy, objectivity, and fairness in assessing the educational quality of students during their final year and through the final examination period of general basic education. Thus, the Examination Regulations of the Ministry only address handling complaints about examination papers of students who failed due to irregularities during the examination. Specifically:

- Complaints accepted and reviewed by the Marking Review Committee must be signed, have clear and specific addresses, contain concrete content, and provide credible evidence. Only complaints requesting a re-marking of examination papers from students meeting all the following conditions will be accepted and reviewed:

The score of the complained examination paper is lower than the annual average score of the subject in the final grade of secondary school by three points or more;

The average score of all examination papers must reach four points or higher;

Each complaining student may only complain about the scores of up to two subjects out of the total number of subjects examined.

- Accept and review complaints that provide credible evidence of incorrect addition of examination scores and missing sheets of submitted examination papers;

- Complaints about other issues will be examined and resolved by the Education Office or the Inspection Board of the Department of Education;

- General basic education schools are responsible for collecting complaints from students participating in the general basic education examination and graduation period and immediately submitting them to the Education Office after the complaint submission deadline. The deadline and location for submission must be announced to students and their parents immediately upon promulgating the Examination and Graduation Regulations;

- The re-marking of examination papers of complaining students will be handled by the Re-marking Committee. During re-marking, the following points should be noted:

Protect the secrecy of the examination papers being re-marked;

Adjust upwards or downwards only those examination papers marked by teachers with discrepancies of two points higher or lower than the grading scale for literature, and one point for other subjects.

In cases where teachers make errors in adding scores, omitting papers, or recording scores incorrectly, corrections must be made accurately.

VI. ORGANIZATION AND GUIDANCE OF THE EXAMINATION AND GRADUATION OF GENERAL BASIC EDUCATION

1. Article 19 stipulates that each general basic education school establishes an Examination and Graduation Council comprising members as specified. If there is a shortage of invigilators, additional primary school teachers from the school may be appointed to the Council to perform invigilation duties only. The Council is established by the People's Committee of the district, town, or city. Article 20 provides that in exceptional circumstances, Examination and Graduation Councils may be formed by clusters of schools or additional capable personnel from elsewhere may be assigned to assist the school in conducting examinations and graduation assessments, and organizing such Councils is only applicable after obtaining approval from the Department of Education. Therefore, to strictly implement the provisions of Articles 19 and 20, the Department of Education needs to carefully consider each case proposed by the Education Office before making a decision.

2. Article 21 stipulates the tasks of the Examination and Graduation Review Board. Members of the Board must strictly comply with the division of labor assigned by the Chairman of the Board while performing their duties. The assignment of members to perform examination supervision, marking, and graduation review tasks shall be based on the following principles:

a) Examination supervisors are teachers teaching secondary school classes at the school, and each examination room must have two teachers inside the room and one teacher supervising the hallway. In cases where there is a shortage of supervisors,

additional primary school teachers may be assigned to supervise the hallway (as mentioned above).

b) Each marking team for a subject must consist of at least two teachers, including one who teaches that subject in the final secondary school class, and other members of the team must be teachers teaching secondary school classes, ensuring that each exam paper is marked by at least two teachers.

c) The head of each marking team for a subject must be someone who has been or is currently serving as a team leader, deputy team leader, or head of a specialized group at the secondary school level.

3. In necessary cases, the school (where the examination and graduation review venue is located) may request the People's Committee of the commune (or equivalent level) where the school is situated to organize a Security and Service Team for the examination and graduation review period, consisting of the Deputy Chairperson of the Examination and Graduation Review Board as the Head, representatives from the local police and health services, the Communist Youth Union and the Pioneer Youth Corps of the school, and representatives from related sectors as members.

The Security and Service Team for the examination and graduation review period is responsible for maintaining order outside the examination venue (beyond the responsibility of the examination supervisors and markers), caring for the health of students and teachers during the examination and graduation review process, and complying with the overall direction of the Chairman of the Examination and Graduation Review Board. The People's Committee of the commune, ward, or town must create favorable conditions for the Security and Service Team to fulfill its responsibilities.

4. All steps and procedures from preparation to examination supervision and marking will generally follow the guidelines provided in the document on conducting basic general education graduation examinations number 461-PT1-2 dated March 9, 1983, issued by the Ministry.

5. Article 25 stipulates the establishment of the Examination and Graduation Review Steering and Inspection Committee, the Re-marking Board, and the Supervision and Oversight Team of the Examination and Graduation Review Board at the district, city, and town levels. Article 23 stipulates the establishment of the Examination and Graduation Review Steering and Inspection Committee at the provincial, municipal, and centrally-administered special zone levels. When implementing these provisions, attention should be paid to the following issues:

a) The Examination and Graduation Review Steering and Inspection Committee at the provincial (municipal, centrally-administered special zone) level consists of the following components:

- Head: Director of the Department of Education;

- Deputy Head: One Deputy Director in charge of basic general education.

Regarding authority:

- Requesting the leadership of the Examination and Graduation Review Board to report on work completed and ongoing; reviewing all files and records of the Examination and Graduation Review Board, examining marked papers, etc.; when necessary, they can inspect examination rooms or require the Board to re-mark papers identified as incorrectly graded according to the marking guidelines and grading scales of the Department of Education (after informing the leadership of the Examination and Graduation Review Board).

- In cases where serious violations of the Examination and Graduation Review Regulations are discovered (such as leaking examination questions and marking guidelines before the examination, failing to properly implement examination procedures and schedules, cheating, blatant copying, and widespread incorrect grading), the Steering and Inspection Committee has the right:

To require the Examination Board to invalidate papers marked according to the official examination questions and organize a re-examination using the backup questions according to the schedule;

To require the Examination Board to suspend the marking of papers to review the marking guidelines and grading scales or report and propose to the leadership of the Department and the Ministry not to recognize part or all of the results of the Examination and Graduation Review conducted by the Board.

- Proposing commendations and disciplinary actions for staff, teachers, and employees involved in the examination and graduation review process, and candidates participating in the examination to the competent authorities responsible for commendation or disciplinary action as stipulated in the Ministry of Education's Regulations.

- The Examination and Graduation Review Boards and the Re-marking Boards must strictly adhere to the opinions of the Examination and Graduation Review Steering and Inspection Committees at various levels. If there is disagreement between the Board and the Steering and Inspection Committee, both parties must record it in a protocol and report to the Department and the Ministry for resolution; if necessary, they may report to the Ministry of Education for resolution. While awaiting decisions from the Department, the Ministry, or the relevant Ministries, the Examination and Graduation Review Boards must strictly adhere to the opinions of the Examination and Graduation Review Steering and Inspection Committees.

b) When submitting a decision to establish the Examination and Graduation Review Steering and Inspection Committee of the locality to the People's Committee of the district, city, or town, the Department of Education should select additional staff and teachers to assist the Examination and Graduation Review Steering and Inspection Committee in assigning them to the Examination and Graduation Review Boards to conduct inspections and oversight throughout the examination, marking, and graduation review processes to ensure compliance with the Regulations.

Depending on the scale, each Examination and Graduation Review Board will be assigned a Supervision and Oversight Team consisting of 2 to 3 people.

These additional staff and teachers selected by the basic general education schools include one Deputy Principal and 1 to 2 others who are heads of specialized groups or experienced teachers, as specified by the Department of Education for each school.

The Supervision and Oversight Team has the following responsibilities and authorities:

- Monitoring the implementation of the Examination and Graduation Review Regulations.

- Standing member: Head (or Deputy Head) of the Basic General Education Division of the Department.

- A number of members from some professional staff of the Department, some Heads and Deputy Heads of the Education Departments of the district (city, town), and some Principals of basic general education schools of the province (city, special zone) convened by the Department.

The Steering Committee and Examination Supervision Board for the basic general education graduation examination at the district (city district, town) level shall consist of the following members:

- Chairperson: Director of the Education Department;

- Deputy Chairperson: One Deputy Director of the Education Department responsible for basic general education;

- Standing member: Head of the specialized team responsible for basic general education within the Education Department;

- Several members: Professional staff from the Education Department and some Principals, Vice Principals, and Heads of specialized teams at secondary schools selected by the Education Department;

c) The Steering Committee and Examination Supervision Board for the basic general education graduation examination at the provincial (city, centrally-administered municipality) and district (city district, town) levels shall have the following duties and powers:

Regarding duties:

- Organizing, directing, and supervising all aspects of the examination and graduation assessment process in their locality (from preparation to examination supervision, marking...) in accordance with the provisions set forth in the Examination and Graduation Assessment Regulations issued by the Ministry;

- Inspecting and reviewing the implementation of the Examination and Graduation Assessment Regulations by the Examination and Graduation Assessment Boards within their locality and the examination and graduation assessment direction work of subordinate levels;

- Identifying instances of misconduct or violations of the Regulations and recommending appropriate solutions;

- Collecting opinions of students taking the examination, examination supervisors, markers, graduation assessors, local authorities, organizations, residents, and parents regarding the examination and graduation assessment;

Reporting to the People's Council and higher-level educational management agencies on the progress of the Committee's work and the compliance with the Examination and Graduation Assessment Regulations of inspected units;

- Reviewing and re-examining the entire examination and graduation assessment results of the Examination and Graduation Assessment Boards (if it is the Steering Committee and Examination Supervision Board at the district, city district, town level) and the examination and graduation assessment results of districts, city districts, towns (if it is the Steering Committee and Examination Supervision Board at the provincial, city, centrally-administered municipality level). The review and approval of examination and graduation assessment results must be conducted under the strict guidance of the Chairperson and must ensure principles of teamwork, accuracy, and efficiency according to the Ministry of Education's Regulations, Examination and Graduation Assessment Boards' Regulations, identifying instances of misconduct or violations of Regulations by officials, teachers, and students during the examination and graduation assessment process, while proposing solutions to ensure the seriousness of the examination and graduation assessment process and promptly reporting to higher authorities. Therefore, these officials have the right to participate in all activities related to examination supervision, marking, and graduation assessment and must bear responsibility for maintaining confidentiality about the board's work as a member of the Examination and Graduation Assessment Board;

In case of disagreement between both parties, on one hand, all activities of the examination and graduation assessment shall continue to be carried out according to the directives of the Chairman of the Board, while on the other hand, the entire situation must be reported immediately to the Education Department and the Steering Committee and Examination Supervision Board at the district (city district, town) level for advice on resolution;

- Collecting opinions and public sentiment of students, officials, teachers, local authorities, organizations, residents, and parents regarding the examination and graduation assessment;

- Writing reports to the Education Department and the Steering Committee and Examination Supervision Board at the district, city district, town level on the progress of inspection and supervision activities and the implementation of the Examination and Graduation Assessment Regulations throughout the examination supervision, marking, and graduation assessment processes.

d) The Re-marking Board for Oral Examination subjects as stipulated in Article 26 shall be established by a Decision of the People's Council at the district (city district, town) level, consisting of:

- Chairman of the Board: Director (or Deputy Director) of the Education Department;

- Deputy Chairman of the Board: Deputy Director of the Education Department or Head of the specialized team overseeing basic general education within the department;

- Secretary of the Board: A professional staff member overseeing basic general education within the department;

- Markers of the Re-marking Board must be excellent teachers with high expertise in their subject areas, teaching experience, marking experience, a sense of responsibility, and good moral character. Depending on the number of complaints received regarding student oral examination papers, the necessary number of marking pairs for each subject should be arranged to complete the re-marking process within one week after the establishment of the Board.

VII. APPROVAL OF GRADUATION RESULTS, ISSUANCE OF GRADUATION CERTIFICATES,

PRESERVATION AND STORAGE OF BASIC GENERAL EDUCATION GRADUATION EXAMINATION AND ASSESSMENT FILES

BẢO QUẢN VÀ LƯU TRỮ HỒ SƠ THI VÀ XÉT TỐT NGHIỆP TRUNG HỌC CƠ SỞ

Article 27, 28, and 29 stipulate on the approval of graduation results, issuance of graduation certificates, preservation, and storage of examination and graduation assessment records for primary education. When implementing these articles, attention should be paid to the following issues:

1. The name and score sheet of each examination room shall be established in three copies after careful verification and signed by the Director (or Deputy Director) and stamped with the confirmation seal of the Department of Education. After ensuring that all three copies match and recording the certificate number, the name and score sheet shall be permanently stored at the Department, District Education Office, and each school.

- Each school shall use the name and score sheet to officially announce the graduation results and have students sign to receive their graduation certificates without needing to establish separate issuance registers;

- The District Education Office shall rely on the name and score sheet to review and assess the issuance of graduation certificates;

- The Department of Education shall rely on the name and score sheet to conduct the final review of graduation certificates for each district before signing and stamping them.

2. Graduation certificates must be signed by the Director of the Department of Education and stamped. This signature may be handwritten if the number of students is small; otherwise, it can be stamped with the Director's signature according to Decision No. 728-QĐ dated June 27, 1981, of the Ministry of Education, if the number of students is very large. In cases where the signature is stamped, the Director of the Department of Education shall bear full responsibility for managing the stamp, preventing errors, and not using it for other purposes.

3. After signing and stamping the graduation certificates, they shall be returned to each school for distribution to students. Upon receiving the certificate, students must sign to acknowledge receipt and clearly record the date and month of receipt in the remarks column of the name and score sheet for storage at the school. Graduation certificates need only be issued once; if lost due to valid reasons such as natural disasters or fire, a second issuance may be granted. When reissuing the certificate, the Department must clearly indicate that it is the second issuance and the date and month of reissuance. For other cases of lost certificates, they will not be reissued; the Department will only confirm graduation in the student's lost certificate declaration form (after verifying through the stored name and score sheet).

VIII. REWARD AND DISCIPLINARY MEASURES

DURING THE EXAMINATION AND GRADUATION ASSESSMENT PERIOD

To implement reward and disciplinary measures during the examination and graduation assessment period as stipulated in Chapter VII of the Regulation, the following points should be noted:

1. Regarding rewards, for staff, teachers, and those involved in supporting the examination and graduation assessment:

a) Staff, teachers, and those involved in supervising examinations and graduation assessments who demonstrate a spirit of overcoming difficulties and completing their tasks well shall be commended by the Examination and Graduation Assessment Council Chairperson, School Principal, or District Education Office Director.

b) Staff, teachers, and those involved in supervising examinations, grading, and graduation assessments who excel in completing their tasks shall be recommended by the Examination and Graduation Assessment Council Chairperson to the People's Committee of the district, county, town, or Department of Education for commendation.

2. All staff, teachers, and personnel assigned to directly perform examination and graduation assessment tasks or support the examination and graduation assessment period must be clearly informed about the requirements and methods of performing their duties.

If any of the following regulations are violated, a report shall be made immediately, work shall be suspended, and disciplinary action shall be proposed based on the severity of the violation in the following forms:

a) Reprimand: Due to lack of responsibility, violating examination and graduation assessment regulations, but causing no significant harm such as:

- Absence from the Examination and Graduation Assessment Council without a valid reason;

- Copying test questions incorrectly or missing them, which was discovered and corrected by the Examination and Graduation Assessment Council Chairperson, although it caused some harm but did not significantly affect students' performance;

b) Warning: Violating examination and graduation assessment regulations seriously such as:

- Allowing students to copy answers or look at each other's papers during the exam;

- Altering birth certificates, school records, grade books, or name and score sheets of students participating in the examination and graduation assessment;

- Losing or misplacing examination files, preventing students from taking the exam;

- Losing examination papers during supervision or grading, hindering students' graduation assessment;

- Incorrectly copying test questions that were not promptly discovered, requiring the entire examination room to retake the exam with a backup question paper;

- Incorrectly adding or missing grades affecting students' examination and graduation assessment results seriously.

c) Demotion in position, reduction in technical rank, transfer to another job, or demotion in salary, if severely violating examination and graduation assessment regulations, causing significant harm to the organization of the examination period such as:

- Setting incorrect or out-of-syllabus examination questions, affecting examination and graduation assessment results;

- Due to lack of responsibility, leaking examination questions, causing serious harm to the organization of the examination and graduation assessment;

- Due to lack of responsibility, losing many students' examination papers, seriously affecting the organization of the examination and graduation assessment.

d) Termination of employment or prosecution under the law, if extremely seriously violating examination and graduation assessment regulations, causing significant harm to the organization of the examination and graduation assessment such as:

- Providing answers to students or transferring papers to students during the exam;

- Tampering with examination scores to allow students to graduate;

- Accepting bribes to allow students to graduate;

- Intentionally disclosing or selling examination questions, marking guidelines, causing extremely serious harm to the organization of the examination and graduation assessment in a locality;

- Engaging in actions to disrupt the examination and graduation assessment or assaulting examination and graduation assessment staff, causing disorder and insecurity in the examination area, forcing the examination and graduation assessment to be postponed and unable to proceed in the locality.

The disciplinary measures mentioned in Article 33 are based on the offender's awareness, the nature, degree, and impact of the wrongful act, and shall be handled accordingly.

Therefore, when imposing disciplinary measures on a particular case, the management level shall base and compare the wrongful acts and their impacts recorded in this article to handle appropriately.

In cases of other violations, they shall be handled according to the forms set forth in Article 33, depending on the violator's awareness, the nature, and the harmful effects of the violation.

For external members assigned to serve the examination and graduation assessment period, if their actions violate the Regulations and cause harm to the organization of the examination and graduation assessment period, the Chairman of the Examination and Graduation Assessment Board will also apply the levels of disciplinary action mentioned herein and propose to the relevant authorities or directly managing agencies to impose disciplinary measures.

3. Article 35 stipulates the forms of disciplinary action against students participating in examinations and graduation assessments. Specifically, students participating in examinations and graduation assessments who violate any of the following provisions will have their violations recorded on the spot and be subject to disciplinary action according to the forms specified in Article 35:

a) Warning, if they commit one of the relatively serious shortcomings such as:

- Passing papers for others to copy or giving answers to others who have been warned twice but still continue to violate;

- Copying from others' papers, having been warned twice but still continue to violate.

b) Disqualification of examination results and graduation assessment, if they commit one of the serious shortcomings such as:

- Bringing unauthorized materials into the examination room (from the time the examination begins in the room), whether used or not;

- Having identical answers indicating copying from each other during the examination, discovered by the examination marking teachers and confirmed by the examination marking team of the Examination and Graduation Assessment Board (the Examination and Graduation Assessment Board carefully examines each case before deciding on the handling);

- Using another person's answer sheet or scrap paper to submit their own examination paper,

discovered by the examination marking teachers and confirmed by the examination marking team of the Examination and Graduation Assessment Board;

c) Prohibition from participating in examinations and graduation assessments for one to two years, if they commit one of the shortcomings such as:

- Assaulting examination invigilators, marking teachers, service personnel for the examination and graduation assessment period, or students participating in the examination and graduation assessment period, especially those who lead such actions;

- Causing disorder and insecurity in the examination area, seriously affecting the examination results and graduation assessment, especially those who lead such actions.

4. Students violating regulations outside those listed in Article 35, such as illegally altering records, forging transcripts and other documents,

threatening examination officials, teachers, staff, service personnel for the examination and graduation assessment period, or students participating in the examination and graduation assessment period, depending on the nature, severity, and serious consequences of the violation, the Chairman of the Examination and Graduation Assessment Board will handle them from warning up to disqualification of examination results and graduation assessment, and may even propose to competent authorities to prosecute them under the law.

5. Other violations by students participating in the examination, officials, teachers, and staff involved in the examination and graduation assessment period, outside those stipulated in the Regulations, if equivalent to any of the violations mentioned, shall be handled at the corresponding level. In cases of repeated offenses, stricter disciplinary measures must be applied.

The Examination Regulations have specified the levels of disciplinary action required to ensure the seriousness of the examination and graduation assessment period. However, to ensure democratic principles, before making a disciplinary decision, the party concerned has the right to appeal to the disciplinary decision-making body and higher management bodies, but while awaiting resolution, they must still comply with the disciplinary measures recorded in the decision. Disciplinary actions must be based on minutes, the form of disciplinary action must be documented in a decision, all of which must be filed in the disciplinary record, and must not be carried out arbitrarily.

The above are the guidelines for implementing the Examination and Graduation Assessment Regulations for the general secondary education examination and graduation assessment period based on Article 37 of the Examination and Graduation Assessment Regulations issued by the Ministry.