The information was shared by Mr. Nguyen Bao Quoc - Deputy Director of Ho Chi Minh City Department of Education and Training - at the conference summarizing the 2025-2026 school year and deploying tasks for the 2026-2027 school year for general education, August 13.
According to Mr. Quoc, in the new school year, the Department of Education and Training will review and re-evaluate all contests and competitions being organized, with the orientation of possibly reducing the number by about 50%.
One of the notable changes is the plan to remove the 9th grade excellent student exam at the city level, replacing it with the Olympic playground. This playground will be organized in a lighter direction, reducing pressure on students. The Department plans to specify the number of students from each school and each area to participate.
In addition, the traditional April 30 Olympic exam is also expected to be adjusted, only organized for 11th grade students instead of both 10th and 11th grade.
Some competitions such as skill and technique can also be organized alternately, once every two years instead of maintaining annually. The Department of Education and Training will have specific instructions sent to educational institutions after completing the plan.
Also at the conference, Mr. Nguyen Tan Phat - Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Education and Training - requested the general education sector to reduce competitions and contests to allocate time and resources for real teaching and learning.
According to Mr. Phat, contests and competitions are also a form of emulation, while emulation activities if not organized appropriately can lead to dishonesty. "Education must be honest and substantive," Mr. Phat emphasized.
