Facing numerous consequences

The trend in choosing subjects within the Social Sciences field may affect the harmonious development of human resources in various professions. Photo: ITN

This situation has led many to worry that the pool of applicants for science, economics , and engineering programs will be limited. This is coupled with an imbalance in the workforce supply for these fields.

One side is increasing, the other is decreasing.

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

Two years ago, one student chose the Natural Sciences exam. “In 2024, the entire school has 175 12th-grade students, but only 3 registered to take this exam, while the remaining 172 students chose the Social Sciences exam for the high school graduation exam and university/college entrance,” Ms. Thu explained.

According to the Principal of Ba Thuoc Secondary and High School, the trend of students choosing social sciences is causing the school a "headache" in class placement for 10th graders. "If we let students freely choose according to their subjective wishes, none of them will choose to study subjects in the natural sciences. Therefore, we have to encourage, motivate, and advise parents and students before organizing classes for students entering the first year of secondary school," Ms. Thu explained.

In Yen Bai, the 2024 High School Graduation Examination has over 8,700 registered candidates; of which 90% chose the Social Sciences combined test and 10% chose the Natural Sciences combined test. Ms. To Thi Anh, Deputy Director of the Yen Bai Department of Education and Training, said that 899 candidates took the Natural Sciences combined test, while nearly 7,800 candidates took the Social Sciences combined test.

According to the report of the Hanoi City Steering Committee for the 2024 High School Graduation Examination, over 88,236 candidates registered for the Natural Sciences exam; while nearly 217,800 candidates chose the Social Sciences exam. Nationwide, 1 million candidates will take the high school graduation exam. Of these, 63% chose the Social Sciences exam and 37% chose the Natural Sciences exam.

MSc. Nguyen Quang Trung advises students on the admissions process. Photo: TG

Resource imbalance

In fact, many universities have reported a significant increase in the number of students enrolling in social sciences and humanities compared to engineering and technology fields. "Looking at the results of the high school graduation exam registrations, it's clear that the social sciences are dominating, while the number of students choosing natural sciences is decreasing," observed Mr. Nguyen Quang Trung, Deputy Head of the Communications and Admissions Department at the University of Commerce (Hanoi).

This situation could lead to a decline and increasing scarcity of qualified candidates for science, technology, and engineering programs. If this continues, it could result in a future imbalance in human resources, and the science, technology, and engineering sectors may face a shortage of highly skilled workers.

"Basically, the recruitment pool of the University of Commerce is not significantly affected because the admission combinations mainly involve Mathematics, Literature, Foreign Languages, and partly Physics and Chemistry," said Mr. Nguyen Quang Trung, emphasizing the need for direction and solutions to improve the situation. In 2025, the University of Commerce will consider and review suitable admission combinations. In addition to traditional combinations, the university will research and calculate whether to use subjects such as History and Civic Education for admission.

More and more students are choosing social sciences over natural sciences. According to Associate Professor Dr. Nguyen Thi Hoa – Head of the Examination and Quality Assurance Department (University of Transport and Communications), this is a concern for the University of Transport and Communications in particular and technical universities in general. Because if students from these universities lack a foundation in natural sciences, they will face significant difficulties and be less effective when entering science, engineering, and technology fields.

Given this situation, Associate Professor Dr. Nguyen Thi Hoa hopes that the Departments of Education and Training and high schools will provide career guidance, creating a balance in students' choices between natural sciences and social sciences. "We believe that science and technology play a crucial role in the nation's technological foundation. If the foundation is weak, moving to the next level will be a major challenge," Associate Professor Dr. Nguyen Thi Hoa expressed her concern.

Looking at the 2024 high school graduation exam registration landscape, Associate Professor Dr. Nguyen Hoang Hai - Vice Director of Hanoi National University - observed that students are increasingly choosing the Social Sciences combined subject test. Compared to students choosing the Natural Sciences combined test, the ratio is 60-40. It is predicted that in 2025, this ratio will continue to increase, leaning towards Social Sciences subjects.

Associate Professor Dr. Nguyen Hoang Hai believes that there are many reasons leading to this situation. However, in the context of the country's ongoing industrialization, modernization, and digital transformation, such a disparity is unfavorable and even presents many challenges. "In the short term, Hanoi National University will increase the number of admission methods to create a balance between the two fields," Associate Professor Dr. Nguyen Hoang Hai emphasized.

According to Associate Professor Tran Xuan Nhi, former Deputy Minister of Education and Training, many students choose social sciences because they may not aspire to attend university. Therefore, they choose social sciences to make graduation easier. However, looking at the overall picture, this trend could affect the harmonious development of human resources in various professions. While the demand for training and employment in the engineering and technology sectors is very high, many universities are struggling to recruit students.

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