When will the worry about the third exam end?

Although the regulations for admission to 10th grade from 2025 onwards specify three exam subjects, the fact that the third subject is not fixed continues to cause anxiety among students and parents.

Circular 30/TT-BGDĐT issued by the Ministry of Education and Training on the regulations for admission to junior high schools and high schools has many new points. In particular, the specific regulation that the entrance exam for grade 10 will include Mathematics, Literature, and a third subject or test chosen by the Department of Education and Training has received widespread approval.

Standardizing the number of subjects for the 10th grade entrance exam to three subjects is expected to avoid the current situation where each locality sets its own set of exam subjects.

However, the lack of a fixed number of subjects for the third exam continues to cause anxiety among students and parents. According to Circular 30, the third subject is announced after the end of the first semester, but no later than March 31st of each year.

Candidates taking the entrance exam for 10th grade in public high schools in Hanoi for the 2024-2025 school year.

Ms. Hoang Dieu Thuy (Hoan Kiem district, Hanoi) has an older child who has already taken the 10th grade entrance exam. But this year, her youngest child is taking the exam, and her family is more worried because the exam has undergone many changes. These changes have not only failed to lessen the burden on students but have also created a sense of insecurity.

"Every year, both students and parents worry so much about the 10th grade entrance exam that they lose sleep. When will this pressure ever end? The third exam subject should be finalized early in the school year so that children can focus their efforts on studying and reviewing," said Ms. Thuy.

Following the Ministry of Education and Training's announcement of Circular 30, several localities are planning to choose English as the third exam subject, including Ho Chi Minh City, Quang Nam, Tien Giang, and Khanh Hoa . This option has received much support.

However, according to the new regulations, localities cannot choose the same third exam subject for more than three consecutive years, starting from the effective date of this circular, February 14, 2025. Many families with children taking the 10th grade entrance exam this year breathed a sigh of relief, but many others whose children have been taking the exam for three consecutive years are already feeling anxious.

Ms. Luu Thao Trang (Dong Da district, Hanoi) believes that the teaching of integrated subjects according to the new curriculum still has some shortcomings and is causing controversy. Therefore, if the Department of Education and Training chooses an integrated subject as the third exam subject, the exam will be more difficult for the students.

Regarding this new regulation, Mr. Nguyen Xuan Thanh, Director of the Secondary Education Department, Ministry of Education and Training, analyzed that if the third subject is fixed, then whether they like it or not, students from the beginning of grade 6 will have to pay close attention and concentrate on the subject they will be tested on, affecting the time and quality of learning in other subjects. This leads to students not learning comprehensively, causing them to be disadvantaged in accumulating knowledge and developing their abilities to study at higher levels and participate in the labor market later.

Mr. Nguyen Xuan Thanh, Director of the Department of Secondary Education, Ministry of Education and Training.

For example, if the regulations stipulate three subjects: Mathematics, Literature, and English, students will only focus on these three subjects, not dedicating time to other subjects, leading to them not being adequately equipped with natural and social science knowledge to study at higher levels.

"This would be a great disadvantage for students, because if students want to use a foreign language well, including the skills of listening, speaking, reading, and writing, they must definitely use their knowledge of natural and social sciences in listening, speaking, reading, and writing in that foreign language," Mr. Thanh emphasized.

The Head of the Department of Secondary Education added that the regulation stipulating the third exam subject or test will be announced after the end of the first semester but no later than March 31st each year. This aims to balance students' focus on completing all subjects according to the curriculum, while still allowing them sufficient time to review and prepare both intellectually and psychologically for the exam subjects, ensuring balance and fairness across all localities nationwide for students to study and prepare for the exams.

Following the issuance of Circular 30, the Ministry of Education and Training sent a document to the Departments of Education and Training regarding the selection and announcement of the third subject for the 10th grade entrance exam.

To ensure effective student enrollment from the 2024-2025 school year onwards according to the new regulations, the Ministry of Education and Training requests that provincial Departments of Education and Training organize the selection and early announcement of the third exam subject or test as prescribed. This will facilitate students' learning, program completion, and revision, ensuring they are well-prepared and mentally ready to achieve good results in the exam.

Source: https://daidoanket.vn/thi-vao-lop-10-bao-gio-het-lo-mon-thi-thu-ba-10298171.html