Vietnam: How are university students who hire someone to write their graduation thesis disciplined?

How are university students who hire someone to write their graduation thesis disciplined?

According to the Appendix issued together with Circular 10/2016/TT-BGDDT of the Ministry of Education and Training of Vietnam regarding details of violation and disciplinary framework:

Therefore, students who hire someone else to complete their graduation thesis will be disciplined as follows:

- Students who commit the offense for the first time will be temporarily suspended from their studies;

- Students who commit the offense for the second time will be expelled.

How are university students punished if they hire someone to complete their graduation thesis? (Image from the Internet)

What are the forms of discipline for formal university students?

According to Article 9 of the Regulations for student affairs in formal higher education programs issued together with Circular 10/2016/TT-BGDDT, the forms of discipline for formal university students include:

- Reprimand: applied to students who commit their first offense but at a minor level;

- Warning: applied to students who have been reprimanded but reoffend, or commit minor offenses but do so frequently, or commit a new first offense at a relatively serious level;

- Temporary suspension from studies: applied to students who are under warning but continue to violate discipline or commit serious offenses that students are prohibited from doing; students who violate the law and are sentenced to prison but granted suspended sentences.

- Expulsion: applied to students who are under temporary suspension but continue to violate discipline, or commit a first-time offense of a particularly serious nature, adversely affecting the university and society; particularly violate the law and are sentenced to prison.

What are the procedures for disciplining formal university students?

According to Article 10 of the Regulations for student affairs in formal higher education programs issued together with Circular 10/2016/TT-BGDDT, procedures for disciplining formal university students are as follows:

Step 1: Violating students shall be forced to write self-criticism reports in which appropriate disciplinary actions imposed on them are clearly stated. If these students fail to comply, the Student Reward and Discipline Board shall proceed to hold a meeting that discusses and agrees on disciplinary actions to be imposed on these students based on available evidence;

Step 2: Head teachers of classes attended by these students shall join meetings with all students in these classes, discuss and agree on recommended disciplinary measures on which departments or student affairs units will then make their decisions;

Step 3: Departments or student affairs units shall make their assessment before recommending the Student Reward and Discipline Board to make its decision on these recommended measures;

Step 4: The Board will then convene a meeting over disciplinary actions to be imposed which is attended by Board members, representatives of class attended by violating students and violating students themselves. If violating students who have been invited to such meeting are absent (for no sound reasons) and do not submit their self-criticism reports, the Board shall hold the meeting as planned and charge them with lack of organizational self-discipline.

The Board shall then vote on disciplinary actions to be applied and request Heads of higher education establishments to issue written decisions on approval of these actions.

Invalidation of disciplinary decisions

According to Article 11 of the Regulations for student affairs in formal higher education programs issued together with Circular 10/2016/TT-BGDDT, invalidation of disciplinary decisions is prescribed as follows:

- With respect to students subject to the disciplinary action represented in the form of reprimand, after 03 months of receipt of the disciplinary decisions, if students do not repeat violations or do not commit any violation to the extent that they have to be subject to disciplinary actions, disciplinary decisions shall be invalidated by default, and their rights and benefits will be restored from the date on which such decisions are invalidated.

- With respect to students subject to the disciplinary action represented in the form of warning, after 06 months of receipt of the disciplinary decisions, if students do not repeat violations or do not commit any violation to the extent that they have to be subject to disciplinary actions, disciplinary decisions shall be invalidated by default, and their rights and benefits will be restored from the date on which these decisions are invalidated.

- With respect to students subject to fixed-term suspension, after expiration of the suspension period, students shall be obliged to submit certificates of accomplishment of citizen's obligations issued by local jurisdictions (communes, wards or townlets) where they reside; certificates of competent authorities for completion of the suspended sentence period, to higher education establishments to seek their decision on whether they are permitted to continue their learning if all requirements are fully satisfied.