In schools, repeating a grade is commonplace.

Accepting the need to repeat a year in order to achieve genuine quality.

Like other localities, the "achievement-oriented" mentality has pushed the education sector in Binh Xuyen into a situation where students must pass the grade "at all costs" to please parents, while the school and teachers also avoid losing credibility. This has been going on for a long time.

However, since the Vinh Phuc Department of Education and Training issued the directive "genuine teaching, genuine learning, genuine quality," the Education and Training Departments and schools have begun to put aside "illusory achievements," increasing investment in professional development, and simultaneously requiring students who do not meet the requirements to repeat the grade.

The principle of "genuine teaching, genuine learning, genuine quality" is understood by everyone; however, the path to achieving genuine quality is not easy due to the heavy psychological burden of repeating a grade. If students are assessed rigorously, the Department of Education and Training and the schools may suffer a drop in rankings and face further pressure from local authorities and parents.

The Head of the Department of Education and Training presents Certificates of Commendation to outstanding teachers at Huong Son Primary School. (Photo provided by the school)

Choosing to confront reality, educational institutions in Binh Xuyen district decided to repeat hundreds of students. At Tam Hop Primary School, 11 students repeated the grade in the 2021-2022 school year; 15 in the 2022-2023 school year; and 5 in the 2023-2024 school year.

For decades, Huong Son Primary School has had students repeating grades. Repeating a grade has become commonplace here. Last school year, the school had 2 students repeating a grade, and in the 2023-2024 school year, there were 8 students repeating a grade.

In the same commune, Huong Son Secondary School also had many 9th-grade students repeat the year. Faced with the schools' firm stance, parents advised each other to ensure their children studied seriously from the first grade to avoid being repeated.

Ms. Nguyen Quynh Lien, Principal of Huong Son Primary School, said: "To ensure quality, the school conducts surveys every month. The school's management board directly sets the questions, grades the papers, and then publicly posts the results on the bulletin board or the school's Zalo group. The management board also organizes surprise quality checks, without prior notice to teachers."

For students with weak academic performance, the school administration sometimes holds private meetings with teachers and parents. Teachers regularly inform parents about their children's academic progress. Therefore, parents don't raise any objections when their children are held back a grade. Some families even proactively request that their children repeat the year to ensure they have a solid understanding of the material.

One of the junior high schools with the highest number of students repeating a grade is Ba Hien Junior High School. Located in the industrial center of Vinh Phuc province, the school has approximately 20% of its students as children of factory workers. In many cases, parents work far away and leave their children in the care of their grandparents.

The school also has over 100 students from disadvantaged and complex family backgrounds, such as children with disabilities, orphans, divorced parents, or fathers addicted to alcohol or drugs…

In the 2023-2024 school year, the school had 55 students who repeated a grade, accounting for 4.29% of the total number of students, not including 14 ninth-grade students who were not recognized as having graduated from junior high school.

In previous school years, this number was even higher. In the 2021-2022 school year, the school had 82 students repeating a grade, accounting for 7.71% of the total number of students, plus 16 ninth-grade students who were not recognized as having graduated from junior high school. Some students repeated a grade twice.

Genuine quality must come first.

In Binh Xuyen, during the summer break, teachers focus on reviewing the knowledge of students who haven't yet met the requirements to advance to the next grade. After the summer training, students are tested again to further narrow down the process. The tests are very strict; there is no room for "bribery" to be allowed to advance to the next grade. Students repeat grades from grade 1 to grade 9. In the 2023-2024 school year alone, the district had as many as 532 students repeating grades.

The students' families were not surprised when their children had to repeat a year. Parents understood and sympathized with the teachers because throughout the year, the school's teachers regularly communicated and informed them about their children's academic progress.

Mr. Dao Thanh Tuan, Principal of Ba Hien Secondary School

Mr. Dao Thanh Tuan, Principal of Ba Hien Secondary School, affirmed: Parents were not surprised when their children had to repeat the year. Parents understood and sympathized with the teachers because throughout the year, the school's teachers regularly communicated and informed them about their children's academic progress.

According to many school principals, genuine quality assessment is very significant. It helps local Party committees and authorities understand the educational situation, and teachers and students are aware of and can develop strategies for improving teaching and learning. Parents can also be more closely involved in their children's studies.

Currently, schools in Binh Xuyen adhere to a process of independent question setting and grading, ensuring fairness and impartiality to accurately assess quality. Many schools assign quality targets to individual teachers. Indicators at the beginning and end of the school year are meticulously analyzed for each subject and class to develop improvement plans.

A3 Students from Ba Hien Secondary School participate in a tug-of-war competition. (Photo provided by the school)

Not only Binh Xuyen district, but many districts and cities in Vinh Phuc province also apply strict measures to ensure quality. Repeating a grade has become normal in this studious region. Perhaps this is what has allowed Vinh Phuc province to firmly hold the top position nationwide in terms of educational quality in recent years.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Thu Huong, Head of the Education and Training Department of Binh Xuyen District, concluded: Genuine quality must come first. The education sector does not tolerate dishonesty or the "achievement-oriented" mentality. Ultimately, the honesty of teachers and students is also a goal of education.

Source: https://nhandan.vn/o-noi-hoc-luu-ban-la-chuyen-thuong-tinh-post826117.html