Many provinces plan to have a third exam subject for grade 10.
Previously, the 10th grade exam was planned by the locality, including the number of subjects. However, 2025 is the first year that students under the new general education program graduate, so the Ministry of Education and Training (MOET) has issued new regulations on junior high school and high school admissions, unified nationwide.
According to the circular, for grade 10 admission, localities can choose to conduct an entrance exam, a selection exam, or a combination. If an entrance exam is used, the exam will include Math, Literature, and a third subject (or a combined exam). This subject is selected by the Department of Education and Training from subjects assessed by scores, but no subject can be selected for more than three consecutive years.
Mr. Nguyen Xuan Thanh, Director of the Department of Secondary Education, Ministry of Education and Training, said that if the regulation of the third subject is fixed, whether students want it or not, from the beginning of grade 6, they will have to pay close attention and focus on the subject they will take the exam, affecting the time and quality of studying other subjects, leading to students not being able to study comprehensively, causing disadvantages for students in accumulating knowledge, developing their own abilities to study at higher levels as well as participating in the labor market later.
"For example, if there are three subjects: Math, Literature and English, students will only focus on these three subjects, not spending time on other subjects such as history, geography and nature, leading to students not being fully equipped with natural and social knowledge to study at higher levels. This will be a great disadvantage for students, because students who want to use foreign languages well (listening, speaking, reading and writing), must definitely use natural and social knowledge in listening, speaking, reading and writing in foreign languages" - Mr. Thanh said.
Regarding the regulation that the third subject or exam is announced after the end of the first semester but no later than March 31 every year, Mr. Thanh said that this is to balance students' focus on completing all subjects according to the program.
"Students still have enough time to review and prepare both knowledge and psychology for the exam subjects, ensuring balance and fairness among all localities across the country for students to study and review for the exam," Mr. Thanh informed.
Currently, Quang Nam, Khanh Hoa, Tien Giang and Ho Chi Minh City are the first four provinces and cities expected to choose English as the third subject in the 10th grade entrance exam.
This is to help motivate and encourage students to increase their learning of this subject in the context of international integration and make English the second language in schools.
Ministry of Education and Training recommends localities to soon announce the third subject.
The Ministry of Education and Training has just sent a document to the Departments of Education and Training regarding the selection and announcement of the third exam subject and guidance on admission criteria for junior high school and high school admissions.
Accordingly, in order to effectively carry out enrollment work from the 2024-2025 school year according to the new regulations, the Ministry of Education and Training requests that the Departments of Education and Training urgently deploy the organization of selection and soon announce the third subject or exam according to regulations to facilitate students in studying, completing the program and reviewing, preparing well for the conditions, creating a mentality of readiness to take the exam and achieving good results.
At the same time, urgently develop and publish principles and criteria for admission to grade 6 of junior high school in accordance with local conditions so that students, parents, teachers and schools can clearly understand and be proactive in admission work.
For schools with the number of students registering to study exceeding the school's assigned quota, the Department of Education and Training guides schools to conduct student capacity assessment in various forms (as stipulated in the student assessment regulations) such as question-and-answer, writing, presentation, practice, experiment... to ensure that enrollment is carried out fairly, publicly, transparently, and in accordance with practical conditions.
