With abundant quotas, private schools worry about difficulty in recruiting 10th graders

There are many quotas for grade 10 admission, but facing competition from the public sector, private schools must calculate appropriate admission methods.

In the 2025-2026 school year, Ho Chi Minh City has sharply increased the enrollment quota for grade 10 in public high schools. With the tuition-free policy from kindergarten to public high school, non-public schools face challenges when enrolling grade 10 students.

More than 50,000 targets for private 10th grade admission

According to the Departmentof Education and Training (GD-DT) of Ho Chi Minh City, in the 2025-2026 school year, non-public schools in the area plan to enroll 30,289 students in grade 10 (including continuing education, college, and intermediate school, more than 50,000 students).

The quotas are specifically assigned to schools and are not adjusted for schools that have been licensed to operate education. By August 1, 2025, if there are additional schools that meet the conditions and the Department of Education and Training grants an educational operation license, they will be considered and assigned enrollment quotas for grade 10 for the 2025-2026 school year.

The Ho Chi Minh City Department of Education and Training said that from the 2025-2026 school year, enrollment registration for non-public schools will also be implemented on the department's exam management system, with the Department of Testing and Education Quality Assurance responsible for providing guidance and providing accounts within the prescribed time. "This is to closely monitor the enrollment process at schools, avoiding the situation of exceeding enrollment quotas or enrolling incorrectly," an official from the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Education and Training explained.

The enrollment quota for non-public schools has increased sharply, but it is predicted that the 2025-2026 school year will see fierce competition between public and private schools when the quota for grade 10 in public schools increases the most ever. In addition, additional enrollment for grade 10 in public schools may take place, depending on the actual situation.

According to the principal of a high school in District 1, Ho Chi Minh City, the policy of free tuition from kindergarten to public high school makes public schools even more advantageous. "On the other hand, the public school system is evenly distributed throughout the city's districts, creating convenience for students. This requires non-public schools to improve the quality of education and create a difference if they want to effectively recruit 10th grade students," he said.

Parents and students learn about admission information for grade 10 in Ho Chi Minh City. Photo: QUANG LIEM

Invest, innovate to compete

Leaders of many non-public high schools in Ho Chi Minh City said that in reality, the schools recruit students from many localities across the country, although they mainly come from urban areas. In addition to competing on tuition fees, private schools also focus on innovating teaching methods, investing in facilities and learning environments to attract students.

Mr. Nguyen Duc Quoc, Chairman of Nam Viet International Education Group - the investor of Nam Viet School system, commented that some parents are still concerned about the quality of education at non-public schools. They think that public schools have better facilities and a more secure curriculum than private schools.

However, this concept is not correct. In recent years, the quality of education at non-public schools in Ho Chi Minh City has improved significantly. "City, national and international exams always have students from non-public schools. Even in the 2024 high school graduation exam, the top student in group C in Ho Chi Minh City was a student from a private school," Mr. Quoc cited.

At Hong Ha Secondary and High School (Go Vap District, Ho Chi Minh City), the 2025-2026 school year is expected to enroll about 1,000 students with about 25 10th grade classes. Mr. Nguyen Quoc Cuong, Vice Principal of the school, revealed that in the face of a possible decrease in enrollment in the coming school year, the school has implemented many methods to enroll students, including introducing the school's strengths for students to grasp.

"The school has its own farm, growing many types of clean vegetables to provide daily for teachers, students and staff, ensuring the health of boarding and semi-boarding students" - Mr. Cuong said about one of the strengths that Hong Ha Secondary and High School can attract students.

Cannot recruit beyond quota

According to the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Education and Training, although private schools enroll students according to their own plans, they are not allowed to enroll more than the annual quota and the enrollment records must comply with regulations. The Department of Education and Training has implemented criteria for using external evaluation results for private schools as a basis for assigning quotas from the 2025-2026 school year.

In addition to non-public schools, in the 2025-2026 school year, vocational education and continuing education centers in Ho Chi Minh City plan to enroll 16,764 10th graders. The 10th grade quota for colleges and intermediate schools under the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Education and Training is more than 10,000.

Source: https://nld.com.vn/doi-dao-chi-tieu-truong-tu-lo-kho-tuyen-sinh-lop-10-196250424215207662.htm