The Ministry of Education and Training (MOET) has just issued an official letter requesting the Departments of Education and Training of Hanoi, Hai Phong and Ho Chi Minh City to study and contribute opinions on the draft Circular regulating secondary school enrollment and high school enrollment.
One of the notable contents in the draft is the regulation on organizing entrance exams. Specifically, in Article 15, the draft stipulates the number of exam subjects for public high school enrollment including 2 subjects: Mathematics and Literature. For secondary school enrollment, at institutions that organize competency assessment exams, the number of exam subjects includes Mathematics and Vietnamese.
This proposal is receiving attention from students, especially those who are preparing to enter 9th grade or have just passed the entrance exam to 10th grade.
Many students believe that the 2-subject exam organization plan will help them focus more on the exam content, and at the same time have more time to rest, consolidate knowledge and prepare psychologically before the exam.
Entering 10th grade public schools, pressure does not only come from grades
Sharing with reporters, Do Le Minh, who just completed the 10th grade entrance exam in Hanoi, said that he was not admitted to nguyện vọng 1 due to a shortage of 2.5 points. When considering nguyện vọng 2, his score was not enough to be admitted. Currently, Minh has enrolled at a private high school in Hanoi.
Looking back at the recent exam, Minh believes that having to prepare for 3 subjects at the same time, Math, Literature and Foreign Language, creates no small pressure for final year students.
If the exam only has 2 subjects, Math and Vietnamese, I think students will be less stressed. We can focus our review time on two subjects instead of having to divide time for both Foreign Languages" - Minh said.
According to Minh, reducing one exam subject may be especially meaningful for students with results close to the benchmark score.
As in my case, I did not have enough points to pass the aspirations for public high schools. In the end, I had to choose a private school. From my experience, I see that the 10th grade entrance exam creates a lot of pressure. If the number of exam subjects is reduced, I think students will have a more comfortable mentality when entering the exam" - Minh shared.
However, Minh believes that reducing exam subjects does not mean reducing knowledge requirements.
I think it is still necessary to test the actual ability of students. If only 2 subjects are tested, the exam questions need to be appropriate, and students can be classified so that admissions are still fair" - Minh said.
If I only take 2 subjects, I will be less stressed
Tran Dinh Nam - a 9th grade student in Dong Anh commune, Hanoi - also expressed his desire to reduce the number of exam subjects for 10th grade so that final year students can reduce the pressure in the process of reviewing and taking exams.
According to Nam, currently many localities organize entrance exams to 10th grade with about 3 subjects, commonly Math, Literature and Foreign Language. Having to review many subjects at the same time puts end-of-grade students under no small pressure.
If we reduce it to 2 subjects, I think we will be less stressed. Students still need to learn Foreign Languages and other subjects, but if they don't have to take too many subjects, they will have more time to focus on the exam subjects, and at the same time rest and prepare better" - Nam said.
Meanwhile, Nguyen Khanh Linh - preparing to enter 9th grade in Hanoi - said that the preparation for the 10th grade entrance exam does not only start in the final year of school.
According to Linh, students need to build a knowledge base and maintain good academic results from the early years of secondary school to have a solid preparation before the exam.
Right from the early years of secondary school, I had to try to study knowledge firmly, maintain scores to have good academic results. By grades 8 and 9, I had to prepare even more carefully. If I reduce the number of exam subjects, I think students will have more time to focus on important knowledge, instead of having to bear the pressure of reviewing many subjects" - Linh shared.
The female student believes that organizing the exam with 2 subjects does not mean that students only need to study the subjects to be tested. Other subjects still need to be fully learned to ensure knowledge. However, if the exam is fixed to 2 subjects instead of 3 subjects as is being organized in many localities, students will have more time to balance between studying and resting.
