The Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport said it will set up an examination committee to review complaints from over 100 students who are unhappy with their national high school examination results.

Students across the Kingdom were disappointed with their results, especially in mathematics, where many received poor marks.

Candidates claimed they were top students in the subject but failed it in the examination that was held last month.

As a result, nearly 100 students gathered in front of the ministry on Monday evening and urged officials to re-examine their papers.

Unhappy teachers also took to Facebook to express their dissatisfaction over how the mathematics paper was marked this year.

About 100,000 students sat for the national high school examination on August 21. The results were announced on Sunday.

Ministry spokesperson Dy Khamboly told The Post yesterday that candidates who were unhappy with their results can complain to the ministry’s Department of Administration office in Phnom Penh or Kandal.

They can file their complaints over the next 30 days, starting from September 9, while students in the provinces can submit their complaints directly to the ministry or to the provincial Department of Education offices starting September 10.

“The ministry does not have any procedures to hear these complaints and that is the reason we are creating the examination committee, which will review students’ complaints and decide on

the next course of action.

“Until now we have not decided on the procedures but are just receiving complaints from students,” said Khamboly, adding that the ministry welcomed complaints from all candidates.

He said the ministry will hear all complaints “because it adheres to the law, is fair to all students and transparent in carrying out its functions”.

Khamboly said he understood the students’ grievances and the ministry will do the needful to resolve issues related to their results.

Responding to students’ complaints, Minister of Education, Youth and Sport Hang Chuon Naron told the media on Monday that “the ministry will examine students’ papers, [especially] on mathematics”.

A candidate who declined to be named said, “we cannot accept these high school examination results, especially in mathematics, since most of the students failed in this subject. We believe in our abilities and are confident we scored better marks than this”.

There were also other irregularities on examination day. For instance, one student’s name was mistakenly deleted by a school in Kampong Thom.

The Stung Sen High School omitted Sam Raksmey’s name from the examination list.

Soeung Pea, the student’s father told The Post that his son went regularly to school but due to some technical reasons, his name was not in the examination list and he was barred from sitting for the examination.

“On August 19, the day to check names for the examination, my son’s name did not appear and the school principal told me his name was omitted."

“The principal apologised for the mistake and I requested the school as well as the ministry to take immediate action to help my son,” he said.

Pea, who works as the Administration Office chief at Prasat commune in Santuk district, said the ministry had asked his son to stay in school for another year and agreed to finance his education.