Information that Ho Chi Minh City plans to expand the form of admission consideration instead of the form of entrance exam to 10th grade is receiving the attention of a large number of parents and students with many different opinions.
According to parents and students in big cities like Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City, the 10th grade entrance exam to public high schools has a high competition ratio for many years, creating great pressure for candidates.
Accompanying her child in this year's 10th grade entrance exam, Ms. Pham Hong Nhung (Tu Liem ward, Hanoi) said that not only students are stressed about the exam, but parents are also very worried during the time accompanying their children.
The competition ratio of Hanoi every year is quite high. Especially, this year there are many changes that make parents and students confused and worried. When choosing aspirations, my child and I also have to consider carefully because if there is no safe strategy, my child will not be admitted to any school" - Ms. Hong Nhung shared.
According to Ms. Nhung, students in the period near the exam time are often more stressed and almost have no time to entertain themselves: "My child spends all the time reviewing for the exam, many days studying until 12 pm. Seeing my child determined, I only know to encourage and create a comfortable space for my child to review.
Because she has 2 children in 7th and 9th grade, Ms. Hong Nhung hopes that Hanoi will have solutions to help reduce exam pressure so that students in later grades are no longer too stressed with the grade transfer exam.
I think admission will help my second child feel less pressured than my older brother. However, there also need to be management methods to avoid cases of "embellishing" transcripts, making admission unfair" - Ms. Hong Nhung added.
Many students also said that using the form of admission consideration will help them reduce pressure when taking the 10th grade entrance exam.
Pham Thi Hue - an 8th grade student at Hong Ha Secondary School (O Dien commune, Hanoi) - shared that if the admission form is applied next year, she will be less stressed. The admission also requires students to study evenly in all subjects to create advantages, avoiding cases of biased learning or dividing main and minor subjects.
In addition, for students participating in the excellent student exam preparation, they may start later in the 10th grade entrance exam. Considering transcripts, with priority points added, will help students reduce pressure, and at the same time, can assess the learning process more comprehensively and fairly" - the female student said.
However, many students also expressed concern about the inequality if using the form of admission consideration.
Nguyen Ngoc Long - an 8th grade student at Trung Gia Secondary School (Trung Gia commune, Hanoi) - shared: "Recording academic records helps students reduce stress but also loses the opportunity to try for many friends.
Some students have low transcript scores in the first years, but you can try hard in the last year to complete the exam well. If you only consider transcripts, you will miss this opportunity for you”.
According to the male student, transcript review has the advantage of evaluating the entire learning process. However, this form should be applied from the 6th grade student course this year to avoid secondary school students being confused with their own orientation.
Ms. Le Mai Anh - an English teacher in Hanoi - believes that the 10th grade exam is not only a test but also an opportunity for students to practice skills to overcome pressure, self-assess their abilities and choose a suitable direction.
Ms. Mai Anh believes that what needs to be changed is not to abolish the exam, but to reduce unnecessary pressure, adjust the way of communication about the exam and increase the effectiveness of streaming after secondary school: "If the exam is abolished and completely switched to considering transcripts, the pressure may not decrease but will shift to the score race throughout 4 years of secondary school for students".
