Recently, the 8th National Assembly Delegation Conference held on September 29 discussed a group of cultural and social fields, including 3 draft laws on education and training, including: Law amending and supplementing a number of articles of the Law on Education; Law on Higher Education (amended); Law on Vocational Education (amended).
With the regulation of abolishing the junior high school diploma and replacing it with the principal's certificate in the academic records on completing the program in the draft Law on Education, delegate Nguyen Van Huy - Deputy Delegate of the National Assembly of Hung Yen province - commented that the current junior high school diploma only confirms that students have completed the 9-year general education program, which is reflected in the academic records, so granting additional degrees is unnecessary.
He said that dropping the degree will avoid the mentality of "having a degree after finishing grade 9", causing many students to stop studying. When they only have confirmation of completion, students will tend to continue to study high school or vocational training. However, he suggested building a system to confirm the completion of the program with a certificate or electronic data instead, and at the same time, the Ministry of Education and Training needs to step up propaganda to create consensus.
This continues to attract special attention from students and parents.
Dao Nhat Long, an 11th grade student at Co Loa High School (Dong Anh, Hanoi) believes that replacing a junior high school diploma with a confirmation of completion of the academic level in the transcript is reasonable.
"In fact, the fact that students have completed junior high school is clearly shown in their academic records. At that time, students can continue to transfer to high school or study at vocational training institutions depending on their orientation" - Long said.
Sharing the same view, Ngo Thi Thu Hai - a 12th grade student at a high school in Dong Anh commune, Hanoi - expressed that the confirmation of completing junior high school is in line with current reality. I think that the form of confirming academic records to replace graduation certificates does not affect the rights of students.
"A junior high school diploma is enough to prove that students have completed their education program. If there is a certificate from the principal, this is enough to prove his ability and learning outcomes. What is more important is that students continue to study or choose the right career path" - Hai said.
From the perspective of parents, sharing with Lao Dong reporter, Mr. Do Ngoc Tuan - whose child is in grade 6 and grade 11 - expressed his agreement. He said that in the past, secondary school students when graduated were often classified as good, good, and average. However, currently, the classification has been eliminated, so the junior high school graduation certificate is almost only a formality.
"If we replace it with a confirmation of completion of junior high school, it will still ensure the value of use, and be more compact. Reducing unnecessary paperwork will help parents and students save time and costs" - Mr. Tuan said.
Ms. Pham Thu Huong (Vinh Thanh commune, Hanoi) - a parent with a child in grade 7 - agreed with the proposal but still expressed concern. She believes that if they only rely on confirmation of completion of junior high school without an official degree, many parents will be concerned about the difference in the assessment method between schools.
"Confirming the completion of high school education in transcripts sometimes does not fully reflect the academic performance of students between secondary schools, and may even lack fairness and unity. Moreover, in some administrative procedures or future job applications, parents still want to have a type of document with high legality to feel more secure" - she said.
According to Ms. Huong, if the secondary school diploma is abolished, the education sector needs to issue specific instructions, along with a strict monitoring mechanism to ensure the rights of students and create consensus.
Meanwhile, Mr. Hoang Nam Anh (Gia Lam commune, Hanoi) - a parent with a child in grade 9 - expressed his concern that students may have a mentality of relying on others if they drop out of high school graduation.
"When they have a secondary school diploma, students will have more motivation to set study goals and review for exams, considering it a preparation step before entering high school. However, if they leave, many children may think that just completing the program is enough, without having to try their best. I am worried that it will reduce their efforts in studying" - Mr. Nam Anh shared.
