The NIETS was forced to nullify - not once, but twice - the Ordinary National Educational Test (O-Net) and Advanced National Educational Test (A-Net) scores that had been previously announced. The institute will now use new optical character-recognition software to recheck exam papers and score them all over again, with the results to be double-checked by a team of university lecturers, in case there are additional errors caused by the computerised scoring system. The O-Net and A-Net test scores will now be publicised on April 30.

Such a delay could affect universities' admissions procedures, leading them to delay the opening of the new academic year by several weeks. It doesn't help that this is the first time the NIETS introduced centralised O-Net and A-Net testing as a requirement for high-school graduates seeking to enrol in university.

Sumontha Promboon has already tendered her resignation, to take responsibility for what happened, although she will continue to serve as caretaker executive chairman of the NIETS until the final O-Net and A-Net test results are released.

Be that as it may, serious damage has been done to the credibility of the NIETS. The institute is charged with providing a reliable centralised method to assess students' academic performance fairly and help universities determine the qualifications and admissibility of candidates vying for a limited number of seats.

Remedial measures have already been taken to ensure the final test scores are determined through a transparent, reliable and fair process. All involved must be able to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the scoring of exam papers is free from error, so that the credibility of the NIETS can be restored.

The importance of the O-Net and A-Net test scores cannot be emphasised enough, as they contribute significantly to students' chances of successfully gaining admission to further their studies in their chosen fields at the university level, which in turn will determine their future careers and prospects.

To draw a valuable lesson from this mistake, it would be useful to see how the humiliating incident came about and what the underlying causes were. Students and their parents had their first inkling of a more serious problem when they tried to access and log on to the Web page offering online announcements of test scores in the wee hours of April 1. The website immediately crashed.

When students were able to access their test scores, many of them were shocked to see they got an incredible zero-point score on certain tests. Some of them then registered complaints with the NIETS and demanded to know if there had been any technical glitches in the software used to automate the scoring of exam papers.

The avalanche of complaints compelled the NIETS to declare all test results null and void, so that exam papers could be run through the computerised scoring system once again. When the second announcement of test scores was made on April 11, many students and parents again detected discrepancies in the results and demanded all exams be rechecked again.

Caretaker Education Minister Chaturon Chaisang ordered a rescoring after discussing the matter with students and parents and conducting an initial investigation. It took the NIETS a while to admit mistakes were made and offer to take corrective measures to ensure that the scoring process was done properly and accurately.

Even the best-available entrance examination to screen and select candidates for limited university seats - much less the ability to ensure absolute fairness to all students - cannot be totally error-free. The NIETS owes it to the students, parents and the public to assure them they are competing on a level playing field.