Excellent students refused admission to university because of parents’ criminal records Should students be prevented from proving their ability at school if their parents committed crimes in the past?   Nguyen Nhu Quynh Local newspapers reported that Nguyen Nhu Quynh, 19, in Chi Lang commune of Chi Lang district in Lang Son province, has been rejected admission to the People’s Security Academy, though she got 30.5 score at the 2016 national high-school finals held in early July. This was because her parent broke the law before she was born. In 1994, the Military Zone 1’s High Command sentenced Quynh’s father to 12-month probation, convicted for illegal possession of military weapons. In 1995 he got married. To Thi De, 20, also from Lang Son province, is another case. She got 26.5 score at the 2016 national exam and has been rejected for the People’s Police Academy. De’s grandfather has been found going over to the French enemy. However, De and her family members did not know about this. She said both her father and grandmother did not know what the grandfather did in the past.  The regulation that students must have ‘spotless profiles’ to be eligible to apply for the schools is no longer suitable to modern times. One year ago, Bui Kieu Nhi, 18, from Duc Hoa commune of Tuyen Hoa district in Quang Binh province, was in a similar case. She got 29 scores (including 1.5 bonus scores) at the 2015 national high-school finals. In principle, Nhi could not enter the schools belonging to the Ministry of Public Security because of the violations committed by her relative in the past. However, Nhi was finally admitted to the school as she was seen as an exceptional case. Meanwhile, Quynh still doesn’t know if she can be admitted like Nhi. According to Lawyer Dang Van Cuong from the Hanoi Bar Association, under the Education Law and the enrolment regulations, the requirements for students set by schools must be made public. If students can meet requirements, they have the right to follow the training majors for which they previously registered. If students are refused, they have the right to appeal the decisions. Cuong said that the regulation on prohibiting students to study at schools belonging to the police and army might be an internal regulation and it would not beveasy to find the document stipulating the regulation. In principle, Cuong said, students have the right to ask appropriate agencies to give written document about whether the regulation is contrary to the Education Law and relevant legal documents. However, Cuong believes that the regulation that students must have ‘spotless profiles’ to be eligible to apply for the schools is no longer suitable to modern times. Thanh Mai, VNN