The Ministry of Education and Training (MOET) is drafting a Circular amending and supplementing the Regulations on Secondary School and High School Admissions to replace the current Circular, which is expected to stipulate a 3-subject entrance exam for grade 10.
According to the draft, regarding the method of admission to grade 10 high school, the Ministry of Education and Training proposes two methods: selection and entrance exam.
Regarding the entrance exam, the number of subjects is 3: Math, Literature and one subject randomly drawn by the Department of Education and Training from the remaining subjects in the secondary school general education program.
As a parent whose child is preparing for the 10th grade entrance exam, Ms. Nguyen Thi Phuong Thao (Dong Da, Hanoi) expressed concern about the above information.
Ms. Thao believes that if the 10th grade exam plan is approved, it means that students will only know the third exam subject by the end of March. Thus, they will have to study all subjects for the entire school year, which is too stressful and costly for parents and students.
"If the draw is for History and Geography or Natural Science, the actual number of subjects that students will take is not 3 but can be up to 4-5 subjects. This is extremely stressful" - Ms. Thao shared.
This parent believes that drawing lots for the third exam subject based on chance is not advisable. If the third exam subject must be compulsory, students should be given the right to choose.
With many years of teaching experience, Mr. Nguyen Van Luc, former teacher at Trinh Phong Secondary School, Khanh Hoa, believes that regulations on 10th grade enrollment should be implemented flexibly, depending on the actual situation of each locality.
For localities and high schools, if the enrollment quota is equal to or lower than the enrollment quota of each high school, the Department of Education and Training will advise the Provincial People's Committee to organize the enrollment exam, which will be reasonable.
On the contrary, if the registration quota for the entrance exam is higher than the enrollment quota (higher by 10% or more), the Department of Education and Training should advise the Provincial People's Committee to organize the entrance exam method.
Regarding the exam format, Mr. Luc said that the exam subjects should only be Math and Literature instead of adding a third subject.
"With the current spirit of educational innovation, the organization of exams in general and entrance exams for public grade 10 in particular needs to be streamlined, saving time and money for society, and reducing exam pressure for students.
"The fact that the Department of Education and Training randomly draws a subject from among the remaining subjects in the general education program at the secondary level is unscientific and creates unnecessary pressure on students," Mr. Luc analyzed and expressed his hope that the Ministry of Education and Training would consider the public 10th grade entrance exam to ensure fairness and avoid pressure and stress for students.
According to Ms. Mai Anh Nguyet - teacher at Nguyen Cong Tru Secondary School (Ba Dinh, Hanoi), regardless of the plan, it is necessary to announce it early so that parents, students, and teachers can stabilize their psychology and review thoroughly.
"To complete the 10th grade entrance exam well, students must practice a lot, have a strong mentality, and present carefully in addition to following all the steps correctly to get high scores. Therefore, the Ministry of Education and Training needs to announce the plan as soon as possible" - Ms. Anh Nguyet suggested.
