Considerations when applying to police academies.

(Baonghean)In our country, thousands of students graduate every year, providing a workforce for society. However, the truth is that many engineers and graduates are unemployed or working in fields unrelated to their studies, while those who study in the police or military sectors have job prospects that are not a concern.

That's why these fields have become so popular, and they've become even more sought after the Ministry of Public Security recently lowered the preliminary selection standards. Many high school seniors, even those with average academic performance and nearsightedness, are applying. This situation has caused concern and apprehension among many, including those within the police force. Last year, with preliminary selection standards largely unchanged from 2012, there were 62,510 candidates nationwide applying to police academies.

Applicants for police academies are required to pass a preliminary selection process. (Illustrative image: dantri)

The cut-off scores for some majors at police academies reached 27 points. This year, police academies still take the same national entrance exam as the Ministry of Education and Training, with candidates needing to score 8 to 9 points in each subject to have a chance of being admitted. Many students don't take this information seriously, thinking instead that studying in the police force is free of tuition and living expenses; graduates get jobs immediately with relatively good incomes and prestige. The question is, what percentage of candidates achieve this? What opportunities are there for students with average academic abilities? Furthermore, just the application fee alone costs each student 270,000 VND. In particular, some students with vision impairments have to undergo radiation therapy after the initial screening, incurring a significant cost of 14.5 million VND.

Witnessing the preliminary selection process at the Vinh City Police Department reveals just how attractive the police force is to students. This allure has led to corruption. On April 2nd, the Security Investigation Agency of the Ministry of Public Security completed its investigation and prosecuted seven defendants involved in a cheating ring for the Police Technical and Logistics University entrance exam, charging them with forging official documents. The ringleader was Nguyen Van Phuong (from Hai Duong), and other individuals involved included Nguyen Thi Hoa (born in 1967, residing in Vinh, Nghe An) and Le Quang Bau (born in 1954, residing in Nghi Xuan, Ha Tinh).

This ring successfully organized five cases of exam cheating in 2012 and 14 cases in 2013 using extremely sophisticated methods: providing accommodation and practice sessions for the cheating candidates, selecting those with similar appearances to the person needing the cheating, photoshopping images to closely resemble them, requiring the cheating candidate to leave the locality on the exam day, and practicing handwriting to resemble the cheating candidate… The cost for each case ranged from 200 million to 250 million VND, and could be higher depending on the number of intermediaries. However, despite their sophistication, these methods could not fool the authorities. Those who disregarded the law were prosecuted and awaited court judgment. The cheating candidates, who were studying at police academies, received expulsion notices: they lost money, time, and much more.

This information has shocked students and parents who want their children to get into police academies through connections.

High schools have also organized mock university entrance exams for 12th-grade students. Students can simply add these results to their academic performance in the three subjects of the exam block over the three years of high school to estimate their cutoff score, and then choose a school and major that matches their academic ability. In addition, they must consider their own capabilities and the needs of society four years from now. They should not blindly follow the crowd when choosing a school, major, or career.

Nguyen Luong Ngoc

Nguyen Truong To High School