The National University of Laos has ordered Group B students who registered to study social sciences to resit the entrance exam next week after discovering that the original question papers had been leaked.
The university made the announcement on September 9 with the resit scheduled for September 20.
This year more than 16,500 school leavers, divided into Groups A, B and C, sat entrance exams. However, the university will accept only 3,476 students under the quota set by the Ministry of Education and Sports.
Out of those taking the entrance exam, about 7,000 students were placed in Group B, including about 100 students who got the highest scores. It was also found that an exceptionally large number achieved high marks when the papers were marked by the exam committee.
Some 2,830 students in groups A and C have been invited to register in their chosen subject fields after their exam papers were accepted by the university.
NUOL Acting President Professor Dr Somsy Gnophanxay told Vientiane Times on Tuesday that the exam committee found that answers submitted by students in Group B were formatted in such a way that they exactly matched the questions, rousing examiners’ suspicions.
We found that the answers exactly matched the exam questions and we noticed that the scores of the students in this group were very high, unlike the other groups, Prof. Dr Somsy said.
He added that university officials were investigating the source of the leaked questions and answers.
Anyone found to be involved in this matter will be penalised in line with university regulations, Prof. Dr Somsy said.
Students caught cheating will also be dealt with according to the circumstances, he added.
Unfortunately the problem of leaked exam papers is not limited to the university but has also occurred in secondary schools.
This year, out of 16,500 school leavers, 3,476 students will be accepted to study in 12 faculties and are scheduled to start their university courses on October 3. Students whose scores were deemed inadequate will be encouraged to take on other fields of study.
A large number of students have registered to study in the faculties of Economics and Business Management, Law and Political Science, Letters, Social Science and other fields, while only a small number registered to study in the Faculty of Agriculture.
Source: Vientiane Times
