Anxious about the regulation of the third exam subject for grade 10

The first semester of the 2024-2025 school year is almost over, but grade 9 students still do not know the admission plan for grade 10 next year. Many opinions analyze with understanding and reason, hoping that the Ministry of Education and Training should change the plan for the third exam subject that has been controversial for the past few months.

THE 10TH GRADE ENTRANCE EXAM IS TOO PRESSURE

At this time last year, some localities had announced plans for public 10th grade entrance exams. However, this year, all provinces and cities must wait for the circular on new junior high school and high school admission regulations from the Ministry of Education and Training to implement uniformly nationwide. This makes students, teachers, and parents nervous, especially in the context of increasing pressure on 10th grade admission in big cities.

Grade 9 students still do not know how the third exam of the 10th grade exam in 2025 will be conducted.

PHOTO: DAO NGOC THACH

For many years, Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi have maintained a stable method of entrance exams for 10th graders, including three subjects: math, literature and foreign language. But this year, it may have to change if the regulation on the third subject that the Ministry of Education and Training is drafting is officially issued.

A 9th grade student at Kim Giang Secondary School (Thanh Xuan District, Hanoi) worried: "In the current curriculum, we have two integrated subjects: natural sciences (including 3 subjects: physics, chemistry, biology) and social sciences (history, geography). Thus, if Hanoi draws lots and chooses a combination exam, students will have to take 4 or 5 subjects in the 10th grade entrance exam for the 2025-2026 school year. Periodic testing and assessment is different from reviewing for the 10th grade entrance exam, an exam with fierce competition."

Many parents in Hanoi whose children will take the 10th grade entrance exam next year also expressed their "restless" state of mind when discussing the exam plan, which they said was still quite unclear. A parent whose child studied at Tran Duy Hung Secondary School (Cau Giay District) said: "Hanoi can only arrange places at public high schools for about 60% of secondary school graduates. The education sector should have announced the information early to reduce unnecessary pressure on students and parents, but this year everything is happening in a way that makes the situation more tense."

The school hopes to keep the exam subjects stable.

Sharing with the press, Ms. Nguyen Thi Van Hong, Principal of Chuong Duong Secondary School (Hoan Kiem District, Hanoi), said that for the third subject, which is currently unknown whether it is an independent subject or a combination, the school organizes teaching fully and seriously and strengthens the forms of testing and evaluation according to the requirements of the new program, ready to respond when the plan is "finalized". In addition to teaching according to the program, teachers also increase support, helping students both study and review.

"The school hopes that the 10th grade admission plan will be kept stable over the years in terms of the number of subjects tested. The school is responsible for students' biased study and neglect of other subjects if they know the subjects tested in advance. To graduate from junior high school, students must complete regular and periodic tests and assessments in all subjects according to the program's requirements," said Ms. Van Hong.

Sharing the same view, a leader of a secondary school in Tay Ho District (Hanoi) analyzed: the new regulations on testing and assessment applied according to the 2018 general education program have placed much more importance on assessing the whole process, in many other forms instead of just doing paper-based tests. Therefore, if the Ministry of Education and Training believes that the third subject needs to be kept secret until closer to the exam date and changed over the years to ensure that there is no biased learning or rote learning, it is inconsistent with the policy of innovation in testing and assessment that schools are trying to implement. This also shows a lack of trust in schools.

According to this leader, because the assessment process is very flexible, such as assessing the products of practical projects, experiences, experiments, etc., but the exam will be on paper with essay or multiple choice format, it cannot be said that there is no "difference" between the exam method and the learning method. Thus, students who want to get high scores for admission must rush into exam preparation and study more according to the entrance exam questions to get high scores.

To reduce pressure on students, some localities are aiming to increase the number of students and the rate of junior high school graduates entering grade 10 of public high schools.

photo: jade peach

THIRD SUBJECT FOR STUDENTS TO CHOOSE?

Mr. Thai Van Thanh, Director of Nghe An Department of Education and Training, supports the entrance exam for grade 10 high school with 3 subjects, but thinks that the best solution is that in addition to the 2 compulsory subjects of math and literature, the third subject must be chosen by students to suit their abilities. This is also suitable, when transferring to high school, students can choose their study combinations. At that time, the number of students registering for the third subject must be organized for them to take the exam and get the admission score. However, to do so requires more difficult work in organizing the exam and creating exam questions.

Mr. Thanh also said that the organization of the third exam subject must change over the years, causing difficulties for the organization of localities. Because, to change the exam subject over the years, the Department of Education and Training will have to have a method to choose this year to take this exam subject, next year to take another exam subject like a lottery. With this plan, there are also situations where students skip the subject they took the previous year, so the goal of "comprehensive education" is difficult to ensure as desired. Therefore, according to Mr. Thanh, it is necessary to aim to build an exam plan that avoids puzzles and lottery to organize the third exam subject.

INCREASE PUBLIC ENTRANCE RATE TO REDUCE EXAM PRESSURE

To reduce pressure on students and their families during the 10th grade entrance exam, some localities are aiming to increase the number of students and the rate of junior high school graduates entering 10th grade at public high schools.

Mr. Nguyen Phu Son, Director of the Department of Education and Training of Vinh Phuc, said that the province is calculating to have about 1,500 - 1,700 more students entering public grade 10 next school year. This information was given in the context of many voters' concerns about the rate of streaming and vocational training after junior high school in the province in recent years being too high, creating a lot of pressure and disadvantages, even consequences for students, families, and society.

Mr. Nguyen Phu Son analyzed: "Currently, the whole province has 1,100 classes at the high school level. If each class increases by 5 students, from grade 10 next school year, there will be an additional 1,500 - 1,700 students entering public high schools with a scale of about 350 classes, equivalent to an increase of 10%, raising the streaming rate from 63% of students studying grade 10 in public schools in the 2024 - 2025 school year to 73% next school year. In the next stages, we will propose that the province allow an increase of 80% or more to grade 10 in public schools."

Dr. Hoang Ngoc Vinh, former Director of the Department of Vocational Education (Ministry of Education and Training), also disagrees with the application of random regulations in education, and believes that the Ministry of Education and Training should only provide basic policy guidelines, leaving the rest to local authorities. The third exam subject should be announced early to have enough time to review, so that students, whether good at natural sciences or social sciences, have equal opportunities.

"In the long term, I think we still need to pay special attention and have solutions to expand and increase public high schools to reduce the current competitive pressure for the 10th grade entrance exam, especially in big cities when the demand for students to continue studying at high school is high," Mr. Vinh stated his opinion.

When will the new regulations be issued?

It is expected that after December 18, when all comments have been compiled and analyzed, the regulations for secondary and high school admissions will be issued. On that basis, the Departments of Education and Training will develop admission plans, submit them to the provincial People's Committee for approval, and then they can be widely announced.

Previously, Deputy Prime Minister Le Thanh Long issued a document directing the Ministry of Education and Training to carefully review, research, and absorb public opinions to complete and promulgate regulations on secondary and high school admissions according to its authority, including considering regulations on the announcement time for early exams to create favorable conditions for schools and students, especially in proactively planning appropriate and effective teaching, learning, and review.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/sot-ruot-ve-quy-dinh-mon-thi-thu-ba-vao-lop-10-185241216233228405.htm