Students, parents buy devices to cheat in exams

At a conference on the organization of the high school graduation exam by the Ministry of Education and Training, Major General Le Minh Manh, deputy head of the Department of Cybersecurity and Crime Prevention using High Technology, said police officers had performed checks on multiple groups trading recorders and cameras, which could be used to cheat during exams.

Investigators revealed that both students and their parents were involved in the trade, often buying devices like earphones.

Several websites can be found to be selling such devices. Manh said the ministry had been training officers on methods to detect and prevent such activities.

Students mainly cheat by bringing small devices to record sound and images, and communicate with people outside the exam rooms to send the answers in, Manh said. While such activities have been seen every year, they are getting more complex.

He said invigilators should take special notice of devices that could be disguised as watches, clothes, earrings or handheld calculators.

Vietnam’s high school graduation examination this year will be held between June 28 and 30, with over 1 million students participating.

Surveys at certain exam sites have revealed vulnerabilities that can be exploited and affect the examination. For example, some devices stored along with the question sheets were connected to Wi-Fi networks, Manh said.

“Local authorities must disconnect all these devices or dismantle them. Exam rooms with internet connections must see network nodes disconnected and sealed, with camera systems being disabled,” he added.

Pham Ngoc Thuong, deputy education minister, said the ministry would continue to cooperate with the public security ministry to prevent the use of technology for cheating.