Hanoi prepares conditions for universal high school education

GD&TĐ - Along with the whole country, Hanoi will strive to universalize high school and equivalent education to relieve the pressure of the 10th grade entrance exam for students and families.

Urgent request

Assigning tasks to the education and training sector in the 2025-2026 school year, General Secretary To Lam emphasized the need to innovate general education in a comprehensive direction, not only imparting knowledge, but also nurturing personality, training the body, nurturing the soul, arousing the spirit of citizenship, sense of discipline and social responsibility, forming a generation of people who are both talented, compassionate and resilient.

With this goal in mind, the General Secretary suggested striving to universalize general education as this is an urgent issue. If it is not universalized, 13-14 year old students entering life will face many difficulties. Students and teachers are currently facing a very stressful 10th grade entrance exam.

The General Secretary affirmed that the current conditions are sufficient for universalization. The State exempts tuition fees for general education, and difficulties in teachers and schools can be completely resolved. Resolution No. 71-NQ/TW of the Politburo on breakthroughs in education and training development also set a goal that by 2035, Vietnam will complete universalization of upper secondary education and equivalent.

Watching the opening ceremony broadcast live on Vietnam Television, Ms. Nguyen Hoai An (Bach Mai, Hanoi) said that the General Secretary's instructions were very profound and closely followed reality. The public 10th grade entrance exam for many years has caused unnecessary pressure on many families and the whole society. Universalizing high school will eliminate this pressure, ensuring that all students complete high school and equivalent.

Mr. Nguyen Van Son (Cau Giay, Hanoi) commented that the General Secretary's direction is also a legitimate wish of a part of the people, because the entrance exam for grade 10 is creating a psychological burden for students, parents and teachers. However, universalization needs a reasonable roadmap: both expanding learning opportunities and investing heavily in vocational education, so that students have many suitable options and no longer have to bear too much pressure from the entrance exam for grade 10.

With more than 2.3 million students and nearly 128,000 teachers, Hanoi continues to be the locality with the largest educational scale in the country. However, at the high school level, the city only has nearly 120 public schools, less than the middle school, primary school and preschool levels. This causes difficulties and great pressure for junior high school graduates taking the entrance exam for grade 10. Every year, the number of students admitted to grade 10 of public high schools only meets 60%.

According to the leaders of the Hanoi Department of Education and Training, all types of high schools ensure enough places for students. However, the public school sector is facing difficulties in concentrating on some densely populated inner-city districts with rapidly increasing student numbers. The sector has advised and proposed that the city allocate resources to build new public high schools for use.

Photo illustration INT.

Proactive and decisive

The shortage of schools and classrooms has been a problem for many years, especially in new urban areas and areas with high population growth rates. To thoroughly solve this problem, the Capital Education Department has implemented a series of synchronous solutions, in which the top priority is to ensure learning conditions for students.

Mr. Tran The Cuong - Director of the Hanoi Department of Education and Training said that this school year, Hanoi has put into use 43 new schools, showing the city's great determination in investing in education.

Notably, Hanoi has established two new public high schools, Phuc Thinh High School and Do Muoi High School, which have significantly contributed to reducing the pressure on admission to grade 10. The opening of new schools has helped increase the proportion of students entering public schools to more than 64% - a clear step forward in educational equity.

Along with that, a series of high-quality and traditional high schools such as Hanoi - Amsterdam, Nguyen Hue, Chu Van An, Son Tay... have been renovated and repaired, increasingly meeting the requirements of the 2018 General Education Program.

In the period of 2025 - 2030, the capital will have 30 - 35 new public schools to meet the learning needs of students. Districts have allocated land to build schools and are currently in the review phase. For example, the Cau Giay area (old) will build 3 new public high schools; Hoang Mai, Dong Anh areas... will also build more schools.

In particular, the medium-term public investment plan has allocated capital for the construction of 7 modern, advanced primary, secondary and high schools. When the projects come into operation, they will help overcome the shortage of schools in some densely populated areas, wards and communes.

The leaders of the Hanoi Department of Education and Training also informed that after the organization, apparatus and administrative boundaries of wards and communes have been reorganized, the redundant headquarters and public service facilities will continue to be considered, calculated and prioritized for conversion to educational purposes by the City People's Committee. It is expected that in the coming school year, Hanoi will have many new schools in operation.

According to Mr. Tran The Cuong, the pressure of the 10th grade entrance exam in the 2025-2026 school year in Hanoi tends to decrease as the number of 9th grade students decreases and the quota for 10th grade in public schools increases. Currently, Hanoi has completed universalization of lower secondary education level 3. The city will continue to expand the school system, recruit teachers and prepare conditions for universalization of upper secondary education as soon as possible.

Source: https://giaoducthoidai.vn/ha-noi-chuan-bi-dieu-kien-pho-cap-thpt-post748585.html