The Ministry of Education and Training is seeking opinions from some localities on a plan to only take two subjects, Math and Literature, in the 10th grade entrance exam, instead of the current regulations including two compulsory subjects and a third exam subject.
This proposal is receiving different opinions. There is an opinion that removing the third exam subject will help students reduce the pressure of reviewing.
But there are also opinions that taking two or three subjects is not the decisive cause of the stress level of the exam.
Part of the reason lies in the percentage of students wanting to enter public high schools and the number of places that the system can meet.
If 100 students want to enter a public school but there are only 60 or 70 places, then even if they take two or three subjects, there must still be a competition to choose the number of students suitable for the target.
Besides the number of places to study, enrollment pressure also comes from the stratification between high schools.
When the quality of education, facilities, teaching staff and learning opportunities between schools are still uneven, students and parents will continue to focus on a group of schools considered "good schools".
At that time, although the total number of public schools increased, the competition to enter these schools was still very fierce.
Therefore, removing the third subject mainly helps students reduce a part of the amount of knowledge they have to review, but does not necessarily reduce the pressure of passing - failing.
To reduce the pressure of 10th grade exams, the education sector and localities, especially large cities, where the population is increasing rapidly and the demand for public schools is high, the fundamental solution is still to continue investing in schools and classes, increasing the number of places suitable for the rate of student growth.
At the same time, it is necessary to invest in narrowing the quality gap between schools, so that parents do not have to worry too much that their children's future depends on being admitted to this school or another school.
Of course, it is not possible to increase targets every year by adding more students to classrooms that are already crowded.
Therefore, increasing the ability to receive students must also go hand in hand with investing in facilities, building more schools, adding teachers and allocating the school network reasonably according to population movements.
This is a problem that requires resources and cannot be solved in a few enrollment seasons. But if the imbalance between demand and number of places to study is not gradually addressed, the pressure of the 10th grade exam will still exist no matter how the enrollment method changes.
Another issue is the problem of vocational guidance after secondary school. In reality, vocational training, studying at vocational education institutions or other options only really helps reduce pressure on public high schools when parents and students see a reliable path of learning, employment and career development there.
A lighter exam is what both students and parents want. Therefore, researching reducing exam subjects is necessary if it helps reduce extra classes, reduce the amount of review and avoid unnecessary pressures.
But the foundation is still to expand learning opportunities so that more and more students have a place to study that suits their needs and abilities.
When the gap between the number of people wanting to enter public schools and the number of places to study is narrowed, competitive pressure will naturally decrease.
