Is it legal for schools to lower students' competition scores if they don't vote?

Recently, a university in Hanoi announced on social media that if students do not vote, their exam scores will be lowered. Is the school's decision to issue such a rule right or wrong?

On social networks, an announcement appeared from the Hanoi University of Business and Technology regarding participation in the election of the 14th National Assembly and People's Councils at all levels, stating: After voting, students must stamp their voter cards and return them to their homeroom teachers to compile a list of students who voted. If any student does not vote or does not return their voter cards, the homeroom teachers will evaluate and lower their final competition scores for the 2015-2016 school year and deduct training points for the school year.

The announcement was made on social media.

According to Mr. Le Minh Thong - Deputy Secretary General of the National Assembly, Deputy Chief of Office of the National Election Council, in the current election campaign slogan, voting is the right of citizens. It is inappropriate for agencies and organizations to impose any form of discipline.

"Electing is a political responsibility of citizens. The State tries to educate, motivate, and encourage all voters to vote. If they do not exercise that right, it will not take administrative measures against them," said Mr. Thong.

Different from Mr. Thong's opinion, Mr. Nguyen Tuc - Member of the Presidium of the Central Committee of the Vietnam Fatherland Front - said: The school's announcement to lower the student's competition score if they do not vote is reasonable. Because the student is a citizen, not voting means not fulfilling the duty of a citizen, so having his competition score lowered is natural.

Mr. Tuc added that when he was working and teaching at Hanoi University of Science and Technology many years ago, the school also issued this regulation to students.

According to lawyer Trinh Anh Dung (Hanoi Bar Association), whether a student who violates his/her civic duties as prescribed by law is considered a violation of ethics and thus has his/her competition score lowered is a matter that needs to be studied from many angles. Firstly, it is necessary to review the school's regulations for students. If those regulations have been approved by the state management agency, the Ministry of Education and Training, and are legally binding, and include regulations that lower competition scores if students do not comply with the Constitution and the law, then it is appropriate for the school to consider lowering competition scores if students do not vote.

According to Lawyer Dung, school regulations cannot be specific enough to mention student elections, but if the regulations mention that students must comply with the Constitution and the law, then any student who does not vote for National Assembly and People's Council deputies at all levels means that they are not complying with the Constitution and the law.

According to Dan Viet