In Ho Chi Minh City, the 10th grade exam is held around the beginning of June every year with 3 fixed subjects: Math, Literature and Foreign Language. However, information from the draft regulations on junior high school and high school admissions, it is expected that from 2025, the 3rd subject will be changed every year and announced before March 31.
Huynh Gia Nghia, a 9th grade student in District 6, said that if the third subject is not English, he will have to study an additional subject to take the exam, which will be very stressful.
According to Gia Nghia, since grade 8 he has taken extra classes in Math, Literature and English to prepare for the 10th grade entrance exam. Gia Nghia plans to put his first choice at Hung Vuong High School.
Ms. Khanh Linh, a parent in Gia Nghia (District 6) also expressed concern about the information that the third exam will be announced late and not fixed every year.
"The 10th grade entrance exam in Ho Chi Minh City is always very competitive. Announcing the third exam late will not give students enough time to review. Each student will have strengths in each subject, so this may cause disadvantages for those who are not strong in the third exam that year.
If the exam subjects are fixed, the children will have more time to study. If they don't do well on the exam, it will be their fault for not studying," Ms. Khanh Linh shared.
Since then, Ms. Khanh Linh expressed her wish that the third exam subject be kept stable every year or announced earlier, at least 1 semester in advance.
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.
"Maybe this change from the Ministry is to expect students and schools to focus on teaching all subjects equally, not focusing on one subject and another, but in reality at school, we still require teachers to teach all subjects equally," Ms. Thu shared.
Previously, in early October, the Department of Education and Training of Ho Chi Minh City also announced the structure and reference exam questions for admission to grade 10 for the 2025-2026 school year with 3 subjects: Math, Literature and English.
Speaking on the sidelines of the conference summarizing the organization of the high school graduation exam for the period 2020-2024 held in Ho Chi Minh City on October 31, Mr. Pham Ngoc Thuong - Deputy Minister of Education and Training - said that the 10th grade exam in 2025 will include 3 subjects: Math, Literature and a 3rd subject selected by the department from the remaining subjects with scores, but according to the principle of changing every year to avoid rote learning and biased learning.
"Having 3 subjects fixed every year can lead to consequences. Some schools will have students focus on 3 fixed subjects from the beginning of the school year. Meanwhile, the remaining subjects are also important in providing knowledge and skills for students, ensuring the program's requirements are met," said Mr. Thuong.
It is expected that the Circular on Junior High School and High School Admission Regulations will be completed and issued before December 31, 2024.
