According to the draft regulations on junior high school and high school admissions that the Ministry of Education and Training is soliciting opinions on, the entrance exam for grade 10 will include 3 subjects, in which in addition to Literature and Math, the third subject will be decided by the Department of Education and Training, changed annually and announced before March 31.
According to the Ministry of Education and Training, the change in the third subject every year is to avoid the situation of rote learning and lopsided learning. However, many students, parents and teachers believe that the change may affect students' psychology.
In Ho Chi Minh City, the 10th grade entrance exam for many years has included 3 fixed subjects: Literature, Math and Foreign Language.
Nguyen Minh Thu, a 9th grader in District 5, said she is currently taking 3 extra classes including Math, Literature and English. However, she has also researched other review classes so that when she knows about the third exam, she will register for it immediately to prepare for the upcoming exam.
Minh Thu's mentality is also the common mentality of many other 9th grade students, worried and anxiously waiting for the 3rd exam.
Ms. Nguyen Thi Anh Thu - Principal of Binh Chieu Secondary School (Thu Duc City) said that adjusting the third exam subject every year will affect the psychology of both students and parents, because students and parents must always worry and predict which subject they will take.
Recently, the Department of Education and Training of Ho Chi Minh City also commented on some contents of the proposed amendments and supplements to the Regulations on Secondary School Admissions and High School Admissions of the Ministry of Education and Training.
In particular, the Department of Education and Training of Ho Chi Minh City said that randomly selecting subjects other than Math and Literature leads to students having to take exams in subjects that are not in their orientation, thereby causing psychological "shock" and stress before the exam.
The Ho Chi Minh City Department of Education and Training explained that the 2018 general education program for high school level has six compulsory subjects including Literature, Mathematics, Foreign Language, Physical Education, National Defense - Security Education, History, in which Foreign Language is compulsory for students to study from grade 3 to grade 12; the remaining subjects include the Natural Sciences group (Physics, Chemistry, Biology), History, Geography, Technology and Information Technology, which students may not choose to study during the three years of study when entering high school, due to career orientation.
"Choosing Foreign Language as the third subject ensures psychological stability and is consistent with the career orientation goals of all students due to the consistent characteristics of the 2018 General Education Program. At the same time, choosing Foreign Language meets the goal of gradually making English the second language in schools," said the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Education and Training.
In addition, the Department of Education and Training of Ho Chi Minh City proposed to proactively decide on the third exam subject, hoping that the Ministry of Education and Training would give the departments the initiative in organizing the exam, including: developing regulations for organizing work, invigilation, grading and marking; selecting participating personnel and the time to announce the results.
It is expected that the Circular on Junior High School and High School Admission Regulations will be completed and issued before December 31, 2024.
