Canceling the 6th grade entrance exam, parents worry that their transcripts will be "magically" altered

According to the newly issued regulations on secondary and high school admissions, from 2025, secondary school admissions will only be based on selection. This regulation puts the investment efforts of many parents in their children at risk of "going down the drain".

For many years, the entrance exams for grade 6 of high-quality secondary schools have always been a "fierce race" among students. In order for their children to have a chance to be admitted, many parents have invested heavily in extra study, review and preparation for this exam.

Ms. Nguyen Thu Huong (Dong Da District, Hanoi ), a parent whose child is in 5th grade, said that her family has spent a lot of money on extra Math and English lessons for her child over the past 2 years to prepare for the entrance exam to Foreign Language Secondary School - Foreign Language University - Hanoi National University.

"Every week, my child takes 2 English sessions and 2 Math sessions, in which the English tuition is 300,000 VND/session, the Math tuition is 200,000 VND/session. In fact, the tuition for these 2 subjects alone is 4-5 million VND/month. In addition to the financial investment, parents also have to take their children to school. When I heard that this year, admission will only be based on academic records, I felt very sad because what my family invested seemed to be meaningless, and my child's study plan was also disrupted."

Many parents are worried that the admission process will lead to situations of asking for points, buying points... Illustration photo: ST

Having also invested a lot of money in extra classes for her child, tutoring her child every day with the hope that her child would pass the entrance exam to Cau Giay Secondary School, Ms. Doan Anh Thu (Cau Giay District, Hanoi) was quite thoughtful when she heard the news that the entrance exams to secondary schools would be suspended. "If the announcement had been made at the beginning of the school year, we would have had time to prepare mentally and adjust our plans. But the circular was issued in the middle of the year, putting us in a passive position," Ms. Anh Thu said indignantly.

One of the most controversial issues is the transparency of the admissions process. With the abolition of entrance exams, grades in the transcript have become the deciding factor for admission to high-quality schools. However, this has left many parents skeptical about the fairness of the assessment.

Ms. Le Tuyet Mai (Thanh Xuan District, Hanoi) is worried: "We are afraid that admission based only on academic records will lead to the situation of asking for points, buying points... Will really good students have a fair chance compared to other 'magically beautified' academic records? I think that not organizing entrance exams also reduces the ability to classify students. Good students but have unimpressive academic records, or do not participate in exams to win awards... are likely to lose the opportunity to enter the desired schools".

"Secondary school admissions based on selection are aimed at reducing pressure on students, but in reality, this is not necessarily the case. Primary school students will have to face a heavier workload to ensure they get good academic records," Ms. Nguyen PL, a primary school teacher in Hanoi, wondered.

Faced with changes in secondary school admissions, many parents believe that the Ministry of Education and Training needs to have a clear roadmap and solutions to ensure transparency and fairness when implementing the new regulations. At the same time, the changes need to be accompanied by early announcements and specific instructions to avoid causing confusion in society.

Source: https://pnvnweb.dev.cnnd.vn/bo-thi-tuyen-lop-6-phu-huynh-lo-ngai-hoc-ba-se-duoc-phu-phep-20250109154422234.htm