There needs to be a clear roadmap for changing education policies.

In recent days, the news that a series of universities have suddenly removed the C00 combination (Literature - History - Geography) from the admissions process has caused thousands of students, parents and teachers to feel confused and disappointed. As the high school graduation exam is approaching, these changes not only affect candidates but also reduce the reputation of training institutions. Many people have raised questions about the reasonableness and compliance with current admission regulations.

Candidates taking the 2024 high school graduation exam at the Gio Linh High School exam site, Gio Linh district - Photo: HT

10 days ago, Nguyen Thi Anh Thu, a 12th grade student at Cam Lo High School, Cam Lo District, was “shocked” when she heard that the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vietnam National University, Hanoi, announced that it would no longer consider block C00 in 17 out of 28 majors, including the major she was passionate about and chose. Thu said that for nearly 3 years of studying, she had tried hard to study and focus on reviewing block C00 with the hope of entering university in the major she loved. “When I heard that my favorite major had now been replaced by a combination of English, while this is not my forte.

My friends and I in the C00 group were very disappointed and confused. Many of them cried all night when there was only a short time left to enter the graduation exam. Luckily, 2 days later, the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vietnam National University, Hanoi restored admission to the C00 group for 17 majors, including the major I chose. Because we were in the final stage, there was very little time left, so when there was confusing information about stopping admission to the C00 group, my psychology and health were also somewhat affected," Thu said.

Similarly, Ho Thi V., a 12th grade student at Dakrong High School, Dakrong District, shared: “For many students in mountainous districts like me, the C00 combination has long been a popular choice. The reason is because our learning conditions with natural sciences, foreign languages... are not adequate and are not invested in as much as students in the lowland provinces. However, the unexpected changes of some universities in this year's admission season have made it very difficult for us to choose a future career.”

Not only Anh Thu and Ho Thi V., many students who wish to apply for university admission in block C00 said that the adjustments in this admission method made them very disappointed. While the high school graduation exam is only a few weeks away, they will have to change their orientation in a short time. Switching to alternative combinations such as C03 (Math, Literature, History) or D14 (English, Literature, History) is not easy, because these are combinations that require a completely different knowledge and skill foundation compared to block C00 that they have been studying for the past 3 years.

Especially at this time, the selection of graduation exam subjects has been completed before schools announce admission information. Some schools have abandoned the traditional combination C00 and built admission combinations with English subjects such as History - Geography - English; Literature - History - English; Literature - Geography - English; Literature - Civic Education - English... then candidates who register for the graduation exam with 4 subjects (Math - Literature - History - Geography) will lose the opportunity to register for admission to the above combinations because they do not have a graduation exam score in English.

According to teacher Ho Sy Ngoan - Vice Principal of Chu Van An High School, Trieu Phong District, this year, the school's grade 12 class has over 290 students, many of whom registered for admission to block C00. The fact that many universities changed their admission methods right before the exam has caused many difficulties for students in both the review and admission process. Up to now, students have determined their exam subjects and put all their efforts into reviewing for the chosen block. The sudden change in orientation will have a significant impact on students' psychology.

Through monitoring on fanpages and forums, most opinions believe that making changes at this time is not appropriate. Candidates for this year's high school graduation exam have registered for the exam subjects since the end of April, including two compulsory subjects: Math, Literature and two additional elective subjects.

Many students determined to take the C00 combination, so they registered for the History and Geography exams, not the Foreign Language exam. It is known that, in response to the reactions of students, parents and education experts, the Ministry of Education and Training issued Official Dispatch No. 2864/BGDĐT-GDĐH on June 6, requesting training institutions to review and publish enrollment information.

Specifically, the Ministry requires universities and academies to review admission methods and combinations in accordance with the programs, majors, and groups of training majors of each method to ensure fairness and not affect the rights of candidates at the time they have completed registration for the 2025 high school graduation exam. Less than 48 hours after the dispatch of the Ministry of Education and Training, many universities have proactively updated their admission plans, such as: University of Social Sciences and Humanities - Vietnam National University, Hanoi restored admission to block C00 for 17 majors, and added the combination C03 (Literature - Mathematics - History) and C04 (Literature - Mathematics - Geography) for all 26 majors admitted based on high school graduation exam scores; Hanoi Open University added the C00 combination for three Law majors, which previously only considered combinations D01 (Math - Literature - English), C01 (Math - Literature - Physics) or C14 (Literature - Math - Civic Education).

There is no denying that education needs to be reformed to keep up with the development of society and the need to train new human resources. However, reform cannot be rushed or sudden. Any adjustment needs to have a long-term roadmap, needs to be carefully researched and announced early.

On the other hand, block C00 is not only an exam combination but also an aspect of educational thinking, where students develop language skills, critical thinking, social awareness...

For many students, choosing block C00 is not because it is "easy" or "avoids Math" as some prejudices say, but it is a whole process of investing in comprehensive thinking, analytical ability, critical thinking skills, language perception and social understanding.

Although the C00 block has been re-added by many universities, it can be seen that the long-term trend of schools is still to diversify admission combinations, requiring candidates to be more flexible and strategic in the process of choosing exam subjects.

Thien Long

Source: https://baoquangtri.vn/can-co-lo-trinh-ro-rang-trong-viec-thay-doi-cac-chinh-sach-giao-duc-194488.htm