National Assembly Delegate: The 10th grade entrance exam is becoming a 'miniature national exam' with heavy pressure

Streamlining is being misunderstood and implemented incorrectly.

On the morning of December 4, contributing comments to the Government's term work reports, delegate Nguyen Thi Tuyet Nga (Quang Tri) highly appreciated many achievements in the field of education and training.

In particular, the Government has advised the Central Government to issue Resolution 71 on breakthrough in education and training development, placing education in a strategic breakthrough position, directly linked to national competitiveness and aspirations for national development.

In addition, the Government has also submitted to the Central Government a Resolution and submitted to the National Assembly a law to universalize preschool education for children aged 3-5; exempt tuition fees for preschool and primary school students; submitted to the National Assembly a National Target Program for Education...

However, the Russian delegate expressed concern about the burden of exams due to the problem of post-secondary education streaming.

Delegates analyzed: The Government's project "Career education and student orientation in general education for the period 2018 - 2025" sets a target that by 2025, at least 40% of junior high school graduates will continue to study at vocational training institutions at elementary and intermediate levels.

*Delegate Nguyen Thi Tuyet Nga. Photo: Nhu Y*

“Streamlining is misunderstood, implemented wrongly, and is common in reality: Those who fail the high school entrance exam go to vocational school. Streamlining is associated with failure, not choice. It is a forced streamlining style, instead of those who have strengths and a clear career orientation choose the right path,” Ms. Nga acknowledged.

According to the Quang Tri delegation, the 10th grade entrance exam is becoming a “miniature national exam” with heavy pressure. Meanwhile, high school is a general education level, meaning that all students have the right to study.

The low rate of students entering high school in some localities shows that the right to access 12 years of general education has not been properly guaranteed.

“Seeing the exhausted, dull faces of 15-year-old children under pressure from exams and reading the desperate letters of children who failed to pass the high school entrance exam, my heart aches,” Ms. Nga said.

The worrying paradox

A worrying paradox that is taking place, emphasized by delegates, is that public school entrance exams are “too intense,” with many students failing to pass the highly competitive exams despite studying well. As a result, students from poor families are forced to enroll in private schools, with tuition fees that are beyond their families’ means.

This problem has been identified by the Government in the summary reports on the implementation of the Education Law, however, in the Government's report, the shortcomings have not been mentioned. From this reality, delegates hope that the Government must take immediate action, such as exempting tuition fees for high school students.

“In the 2026-2027 school year, open the doors to high school, invest systematically in vocational high schools and respect the right of learners to choose,” the delegate recommended.

Along with that, it is necessary to improve the examinations, adjust the admission method for grade 10 to reduce pressure, and give more opportunities to students. Streaming must be based on voluntariness and ability, not turning streaming into a "barrier" from grade 9. Build streaming based on the right to study.

“We must ensure enough places in public high schools for poor students,” said Ms. Nga.

The female delegate of Quang Tri province believes that we have in our hands progressive policies, strong decisions, and great expectations. The thinking has changed, the policies have been issued, but the enforcement power must be enough to create clear changes.

Therefore, she expects the next term to be a term of action, to turn policies into reality; a term to turn Party resolutions and State laws into specific and clear action programs of the Government.

This is demonstrated by concrete results in each classroom, each school, each teacher and each student.

Source: https://tienphong.vn/dai-bieu-quoc-hoi-thi-vao-lop-10-dang-tro-thanh-mot-ky-thi-quoc-gia-thu-nho-voi-ap-luc-nang-ne-post1801711.tpo