Eliminate junior high school diplomas

(Dan Tri Newspaper) - The amended Law on Education stipulates that no junior high school diplomas will be issued. Students who complete the program and meet the requirements will have their completion confirmed in their academic transcript by the school principal.

This is a new point in the Law amending and supplementing a number of articles of the Law on Education, which was passed by the National Assembly on the morning of December 10th.

The law stipulates that diplomas in the national education system are documents in paper or numerical form issued to students upon graduation from high school; students who complete educational programs, training programs and meet the output standards of the corresponding level in vocational education and higher education.

The National Assembly session on the morning of December 10 (Photo: Hong Phong).

According to this law, diplomas of the national education system include high school diplomas, vocational high school diplomas, intermediate diplomas, college diplomas, bachelor's degrees, master's degrees, doctoral degrees, and diplomas from specialized training programs in certain specific fields and disciplines.

Thus, compared to the current regulations, the newly amended law has abolished the issuance of junior high school graduation certificates.

Instead, students who have completed the lower secondary education program, if they meet the requirements stipulated by the Minister of Education and Training, will have their academic records certified by the school principal as having completed the program.

Students who have completed the high school education program and meet the requirements stipulated by the Minister of Education and Training are eligible to take the exam. If they pass, the school principal will award them a high school diploma.

If a student does not take the exam or fails to meet the requirements, the school principal will issue a certificate of completion of the general education program. This certificate can be used to register for the high school graduation exam when the student wishes, or to pursue vocational education, and in specific cases as prescribed by law.

According to this law, diplomas and certificates issued by educational institutions of all types and forms of training within the national education system have equal legal validity.

The Minister of Education and Training shall specify regulations on the management of diplomas and certificates of the national education system and the recognition of other certificates for use in the national education system.

Earlier, clarifying this matter further, Minister of Education and Training Nguyen Kim Son stated that the Government had agreed to regulate the awarding of junior high school diplomas, replacing them with the phrase "completion of junior high school program or equivalent".

Minister of Education and Training Nguyen Kim Son (Photo: Hong Phong).

At the same time, the law stipulates that diplomas and certificates can be issued in paper or digital form, in order to promote the implementation of policies on digital transformation in education.

In addition, the draft standardizes the term "diploma of specialized training programs in certain specific fields" instead of "equivalent diploma," accurately reflecting the nature of degrees such as those of doctors, pharmacists, engineers, and architects; ensuring consistency with the draft Law on Higher Education (amended) and aligning with international practices.

The amended law also clearly stipulates that the Minister of Education and Training manages diplomas and certificates of the national education system to ensure flexibility and timely adjustments according to practical requirements, while maintaining the uniformity, interconnectedness, and transparency of the system.

For postgraduate advanced training programs in the health sector leading to degrees such as residency and specialist doctor programs, the guidance on organization, implementation, and management will be carried out by the Ministry of Health, as stipulated in the draft Law on Higher Education (amended).

Regarding regulations on textbooks for general education, the Law clearly states that "the Government shall regulate the provision of free textbooks for students." The Minister of Education and Training shall decide on a set of general education textbooks to be used uniformly nationwide.

The National Textbook Review Council is established by the Minister of Education and Training for each subject and educational activity to review textbooks. The Council and its members are responsible for the content and quality of the review.

The Minister of Education and Training approves textbooks for use in general education institutions after they have been evaluated and rated as satisfactory by the National Textbook Appraisal Council; and prescribes the standards and procedures for compiling and revising general education textbooks.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/thoi-su/bo-cap-bang-tot-nghiep-trung-hoc-co-so-20251210104920836.htm