Facing many consequences

The trend of choosing subjects in the field of Social Sciences can affect the harmonious development of human resources in the industry. Photo: ITN

This situation makes many people worry that the recruitment source for training schools in science, economics and technology will be limited. Along with that is the imbalance of human resources in the fields of science, technology and economics.

Up side, down side

At Ba Thuoc Secondary and High School (Thanh Hoa), Principal Ha Thi Thu said that from 2017 to now, no more than 10 students have chosen the Natural Science exam (a combination of subjects: Physics, Chemistry, Biology) to participate in the National High School Exam, now the High School Graduation Exam.

Two years ago, one student chose the Natural Science exam. “In 2024, the whole school had 175 12th graders but only 3 students registered to take this exam, the remaining 172 students chose the Social Science exam to take the high school graduation exam and apply for university and college admission,” Ms. Thu explained.

According to the Principal of Ba Thuoc Secondary and High School, the trend of students choosing the field of Social Sciences makes the school have a “headache” in arranging and placing classes for grade 10. “If students are allowed to freely choose according to their subjective wishes, no student will choose to study subjects in the field of Natural Sciences. Therefore, we have to motivate, encourage and advise parents and students before organizing classes for first-grade students,” Ms. Thu shared.

In Yen Bai, more than 8,700 candidates registered for the 2024 High School Graduation Exam; of which 90% of candidates registered for the exam chose the Social Science exam and 10% chose the Natural Science exam. Ms. To Thi Anh - Deputy Director of the Department of Education and Training of Yen Bai said that 899 candidates took the Natural Science exam, and nearly 7,800 candidates took the Social Science exam.

According to the report of the Steering Committee for the 2024 High School Graduation Exam of Hanoi City, the number of candidates registering for the Natural Science exam is more than 88,236; meanwhile, nearly 217,800 candidates choose the Social Science exam. Nationwide, there are 1 million candidates taking the High School Graduation Exam. Of which, 63% of candidates choose the Social Science exam and 37% the Natural Science exam.

MSc. Nguyen Quang Trung advises candidates on admission. Photo: TG

Imbalance of resources

In fact, many universities have recorded a sharp increase in the number of candidates enrolling in social sciences and humanities compared to engineering and technology. “Looking at the results of the high school graduation exam registration, it shows that the social sciences are dominating, while the number of candidates choosing natural sciences is decreasing,” said MSc. Nguyen Quang Trung - Deputy Head of the Department of Communications and Admissions, University of Commerce (Hanoi).

This situation may lead to a decrease in the number of students in science, technology and engineering training schools and an increasing scarcity. If this situation continues, it may lead to an imbalance in human resources in the future and science, technology and engineering may face a shortage of highly qualified workers.

“Basically, the recruitment source of the University of Commerce is not much affected because the admission combinations are mainly related to Math, Literature, Foreign Languages ​​and partly related to Physics and Chemistry,” said Master Nguyen Quang Trung, emphasizing that there needs to be orientation and solutions to improve the above picture. In 2025, the University of Commerce will consider and review suitable admission combinations. In addition to traditional combinations, the school will research and calculate whether to use some subjects such as History and Civic Education for admission.

More and more students are interested in and choosing social sciences subjects over natural sciences. According to Associate Professor, Dr. Nguyen Thi Hoa - Head of the Department of Examination and Training Quality Assurance (University of Transport), this is a concern of the University of Transport in particular and technical schools in general. Because if students of these schools do not have a foundation in natural sciences, when entering the field of science, engineering and technology, it will be very difficult and ineffective.

Faced with the above situation, Associate Professor Dr. Nguyen Thi Hoa hopes that the Department of Education and Training and high schools need to have career orientation, creating a balance in students choosing Natural Sciences and Social Sciences. "We believe that science and technology play an important role in the technological foundation of the country. If the foundation is weak and you want to move to the next step, it will be a big challenge," Associate Professor Dr. Nguyen Thi Hoa worries.

Looking at the picture of high school graduation exam registration in 2024, Associate Professor Dr. Nguyen Hoang Hai - Deputy Director of Hanoi National University, noticed that students are leaning towards choosing the social science exam. Compared to students choosing the natural science exam, this ratio is at 60 - 40. It is forecasted that by 2025, this ratio will continue to increase in the direction of leaning towards social science subjects.

Associate Professor Dr. Nguyen Hoang Hai said that there are many reasons for the above situation. However, in the context of the country in the process of industrialization, modernization and promoting digital transformation, the above difference is not favorable, even bringing many challenges. "In the immediate future, Hanoi National University will increase the form of admission to create a balance between the two fields," Associate Professor Dr. Nguyen Hoang Hai emphasized.

According to Associate Professor Dr. Tran Xuan Nhi - former Deputy Minister of Education and Training, many students choose social sciences because they do not want to go to university. Therefore, they choose to study social sciences to graduate more easily. However, looking at the overall picture, this trend can affect the harmonious development of human resources in the industry. While the demand for training and using labor through training in the field of engineering and technology is very large, many schools have difficulty recruiting students.

Source: https://danviet.vn/chenh-lech-ty-le-chon-mon-hoc-doi-dien-nhieu-he-luy-20240801155315016.htm