Vietnam Education Ministry defends high school graduation exam amid isolated procedural lapses

Director Huỳnh Văn Chương of the Ministry of Education and Training said that the mistakes and intentional violations by some officials during the 2026 high school graduation exam are "isolated incidents" and do not reflect systemic problems in the exam or its regulations. He acknowledged that certain localities experienced difficulties, such as mixing candidates or staff failing to fully follow procedures, and called for tighter oversight of vulnerable steps, while affirming that the exam overall met its objectives.

Deputy Prime Minister Lê Tiến Châu chaired a meeting with the ministry, related agencies, experts and university representatives, who unanimously supported retaining the exam despite a 99% pass rate. Participants emphasized that the exam checks core knowledge and skills, provides reliable data for assessing teaching quality, ensures nationwide fairness, and should be refined rather than abandoned.