Are you good at a few subjects or all subjects?

While education authorities argue that not fixing the third subject for the 10th grade entrance exam is a way to prevent students from focusing on only certain subjects or memorizing specific answers, many believe this approach is unnecessary and unrealistic, demanding all-around excellence from students.

Should students excel in all subjects?

In recent days, the regulations regarding the third subject for the 10th grade entrance exam, as outlined in the draft regulations for junior high school and high school entrance exams by the Ministry of Education and Training, have caused concern among many parents.

The draft regulations stipulate the general implementation of the exam with 3 subjects: Mathematics, Literature, and a third subject or combined test chosen by the Department of Education and Training or higher education institutions with high schools, and announced before March 31st of each year.

Candidates taking the entrance exam for 10th grade in public high schools in Hanoi for the 2024-2025 school year.

The third exam subject is chosen from among the graded subjects in the lower secondary education curriculum. The Ministry of Education and Training states that the selection of the third exam subject has changed over the years to achieve the goal of comprehensive education during the basic education stage. This regulation is seen as a way to guide students away from focusing on only certain subjects or memorizing specific answers.

However, from the students' perspective, parents argue that not fixing the third subject for the 10th grade entrance exam puts schools and students in a passive position, increasing academic pressure across multiple subjects.

Many argue that requiring students to excel in all subjects is unrealistic. On several social media forums dedicated to education, thousands of parents have contributed their opinions on the draft regulations and expressed their views on unbalanced learning.

In addition, many parents have offered solutions to combat academic imbalance that don't rely solely on the three exam subjects.

A parent named Huong Pham said: "To help children achieve good results in the three subjects in the entrance exam, many schools skip teaching the remaining subjects. This leads to unbalanced learning. The Ministry of Education and Training should come up with solutions to avoid unbalanced learning and teaching, instead of using the subjects in the 10th grade entrance exam to dictate children's studies."

According to a parent from Hoa An: "My child enjoys learning and remembers well any subject that the teachers teach well and engagingly, even if that subject isn't an exam subject. So the problem that needs to be solved is improving the quality of teaching."

Having knowledge of all kinds will be an advantage.

According to Deputy Minister of Education and Training Pham Ngoc Thuong, if the exam consists of three fixed subjects as before, some schools with good management will prevent students from focusing on only certain subjects, but the majority of students will tend to study only what is tested in the exam. The consequence is that some schools, even many schools, will focus on teaching and learning only the three exam subjects from the beginning of the school year. However, other subjects require strong knowledge, so this needs to be strictly managed.

According to Deputy Minister Pham Ngoc Thuong, the Ministry has conducted inspections and managed teaching and learning and has found that the aforementioned phenomenon exists in practice. Therefore, it is necessary to rectify both the teaching and learning process and the grading system. Qualities and competencies must come from all subjects, not just from Mathematics, Vietnamese, and Foreign Languages.

Dr. Nguyen Tung Lam – Vice President of the Vietnam Association of Educational Psychology , Chairman of the Education Council of Dinh Tien Hoang High School (Hanoi) – believes that changing the third subject in grade 10 every year should be avoided. He argues that this would create psychological instability, a sense of anticipation, and increased pressure on students.

Instead, Dr. Nguyen Tung Lam proposed that the third subject should be fixed as a combined subject encompassing basic knowledge from natural and social sciences, tested in a multiple-choice format. This would ensure students grasp the knowledge of all subjects. This learning method would help students acquire the necessary basic knowledge and skills at the lower secondary level.

In an interview with a reporter from Dai Doan Ket Newspaper, Dr. Nguyen Tung Lam expressed his disagreement with the opinion that, with the Ministry of Education and Training's proposed entrance exam plan for 10th grade, students will have to be proficient in all subjects.

According to Dr. Nguyen Tung Lam, for a long time, both teachers and students have maintained the habit of only teaching and learning when there are exams, neglecting other subjects. This teaching and learning method is outdated. Students don't learn, and teachers lack methods to engage students in the subject.

"I believe that parents shouldn't worry about their children having to study too many subjects, but rather should motivate them to learn. Knowing a wide range of knowledge will be an advantage later in life when they grow up and develop themselves," said Dr. Nguyen Tung Lam.

Source: https://daidoanket.vn/thi-vao-lop-10-gioi-vai-mon-hay-tat-ca-cac-mon-10293990.html