The race to get into 6th grade is intense.

TP - University admissions are currently not as stressful as admissions to the 6th grade at prestigious schools in major cities. To secure a place at these schools, parents engage in a silent and arduous race.

Don't blame the parents.

While her classmates were on summer vacation, NAQ was driven by her mother to take entrance exams for 6th grade at three different schools. AQ took the exams for Thanh Xuan Secondary School, Nguyen Tat Thanh Secondary and High School, and just finished the exam for Cau Giay Secondary School. These are three secondary schools with high competition ratios; for example, Nguyen Tat Thanh Secondary School has a ratio of 1/18, and Cau Giay Secondary School has 1/7. Participating in so many exams in such a short time left AQ quite tired.

Students recently participated in an aptitude test for admission to the Gifted Secondary School ( Hanoi University of Education). Photo: Nghiem Hue.

In recent times, besides the three aforementioned junior high schools, several other schools in Hanoi have also organized aptitude tests for admission to grade 6, such as the Foreign Language Junior High School (University of Foreign Languages, Vietnam National University, Hanoi), the Gifted Junior High School (Hanoi Pedagogical University), Nam Tu Liem Junior High School (Nam Tu Liem), Le Loi Junior High School (Ha Dong), Nguyen Gia Thieu Junior High School (Long Bien), Luong The Vinh Junior High and High School (Cau Giay, Thanh Tri)... The frequent appearance of these exams has led parents to want their children to participate as many times as possible to increase their chances of admission.

To have a chance of being admitted to these schools, parents have to find tutoring classes for their children from the early years of primary school. Ms. Hoang Thi Hai Yen from Hoang Mai, Hanoi, shared that without tutors, it's difficult to pass the aptitude tests organized by secondary schools. Each school has a different test format, so students can get accepted into one school and fail another, and it's not uncommon for excellent students to get accepted into multiple schools at the same time. Ms. Yen said that only those involved truly understand the arduous journey of finding tutoring and taking their children to and from school. "The entrance exam for grade 6, besides the students' abilities, is essentially a race among parents. It's a race where whoever finds a good tutor succeeds, otherwise it's a matter of luck," Ms. Yen said.

Dr. Nguyen Tung Lam, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Dinh Tien Hoang High School (Hanoi) and former Chairman of the Hanoi Educational Psychology Association, was deeply concerned about the current admission methods, which rely on entrance exams and academic transcript reviews, forcing students to attend extra classes and prepare for exams from a young age, putting immense pressure on them. Dr. Nguyen Tung Lam believes that the current chaotic state of entrance exams from grades 6 to 10 in Hanoi stems from a shortage of schools and uneven educational quality across institutions. The phenomenon of investing in high-quality education (high-quality public secondary and high schools) is putting pressure on parents and students. Parents generally want their children to attend good, high-quality schools for better career opportunities later on, so the blame cannot be placed solely on parents competing for admission to specialized schools and selective classes.

The worry of "finding accommodation"

Besides the intense competition for high-quality schools requiring entrance exams, prestigious public secondary schools in Hanoi also attract considerable attention from parents. These schools have two advantages: low tuition fees (with tuition waived next year) and quality comparable to high-quality secondary schools (which charge many times more, even though they are public schools). However, the number of places available for students from outside the designated catchment area is limited. Each district in Hanoi has one or two public secondary schools that are always popular choices for parents. For example, Hoan Kiem district has Ngo Si Lien Secondary School and Trung Vuong Secondary School; Cau Giay district has Nghia Tan Secondary School and Le Quy Don Secondary School; Ba Dinh district has Giang Vo Secondary School; Dong Da district has Dong Da Secondary School… At these schools, getting into a school outside the catchment area is difficult, and securing a place in the desired class is equally challenging for parents.

According to the plan, starting from the 2026-2027 school year, Hanoi will implement a policy of admitting students to preschool, first grade, and sixth grade based on the criterion that students attend schools near their place of residence. Hanoi Department of Education and Training Director Tran The Cuong affirmed that this policy helps students attend schools near their homes, minimizing the problem of students attending schools outside their designated zones, especially in border areas where students are only a few steps away from the school but are not admitted (due to administrative boundaries). Thus, this policy will not classify students based on household registration as is currently the case, but rather on their residential area.

Parents agree with and support this policy. Ms. Le Thi Huu (Thanh Tri) said that soon, her daughter will be able to attend Tu Hiep Secondary School right next to their house without worrying about going out of school. If school zoning is based on permanent residence, Ms. Huu's daughter would attend Mau Luong Secondary School in Ha Dong.

Previously, Ho Chi Minh City implemented this model and found it effective. However, reality has revealed limitations. There is a situation where schools near homes are overcrowded, and students are forced to travel long distances to school. Many schools in central areas, which already have a large number of students, are easily overloaded if all students are concentrated in one place. Although the policy is to encourage students to study near home, if all parents want their children to attend "prestigious" schools, the pressure will be immense, especially when expanding to two-session schooling per day.

Currently, the enrollment system based on household registration has seen instances of "household registration manipulation." Near prestigious schools, numerous relatives and family members suddenly move in, or many people rent houses.

Associate Professor Tran Thanh Nam, Vice Rector of the University of Education (Vietnam National University, Hanoi), believes that it is necessary to raise awareness among parents to eliminate the mentality of choosing or "lobbying" for specific schools. In addition, it is necessary to increase investment in and upgrade the technology system supporting online enrollment; and develop a reasonable zoning plan that ensures a balance between people's aspirations and the actual conditions of each locality.

Nghiem Hue

Source: https://tienphong.vn/cang-thang-cuoc-dua-vao-lop-6-post1752173.tpo