Hanoi – Many opinions suggest that the 10th grade entrance exam for public schools should award extra points to students who excel and win city-level prizes, in order to encourage and motivate outstanding students.
Having won first prize in History in Thanh Xuan district, Tran The Quyen, a 9th-grade student from Kim Giang Secondary School, is preparing to participate in the Hanoi City-level excellent student competition in January 2024.
"My son's goal is to win at least third prize, and even further, to get accepted into Hanoi - Amsterdam High School for the Gifted, specializing in Social Sciences and Humanities," said Ms. Hang, Quyen's mother.
The mother believes that the team training program allowed her son to learn from excellent and experienced teachers. Her biggest concern, however, is that even if he wins first prize at the district or city level, he will not receive any preferential treatment when taking the public high school entrance exam compared to other candidates.
"I think it's unfair not to give extra points to top-performing students at the city level," Ms. Hang said.
Ms. Hang's view is not unique. Many teachers and principals also propose awarding bonus points to high-achieving students to motivate them further and to facilitate the identification and nurturing of outstanding students.
Parents and students in Hanoi check their registration numbers and exam room layouts during the 10th grade entrance exam in June 2023. Photo: Tung Dinh
Previously, Hanoi and many other provinces and cities would add 1-2 priority points to the 10th grade entrance exam scores of students who won city-level awards. However, since 2014, when the Ministry of Education and Training issued regulations on secondary and high school admissions, this policy has been abolished.
Currently, Hanoi only awards points to students who win city-level prizes in the preliminary round if they register to take the entrance exam for specialized 10th-grade classes. The preliminary score is the sum of the student excellence competition score (2-5 points), the four-year academic ranking (8-12 points), and the junior high school graduation score (2-3 points). A score of 10 points or higher qualifies a candidate for the specialized program.
"Because the scores are added up across many categories, the total score easily exceeds 10, making the 'excellent student' award almost meaningless," commented a 9th-grade teacher.
Meanwhile, according to this teacher, to make it onto the city's gifted student team, regardless of whether they win an award or not, students must go through many rounds of evaluation and invest a lot of time, effort, and money.
Ms. Quynh from Cau Giay district said she has "spent countless amounts of money" on her 8th-grade daughter's math competition preparation for the gifted student competition over the past three years. According to her, the district has many high-quality secondary schools, so the competition for the gifted student award is fierce. Besides regular classes and two afternoon math lessons at school, her daughter attends at least three advanced tutoring sessions with excellent teachers. In the evenings, in addition to homework from other subjects, the student continues to study math on her own.
"This is preparation so that my child can pass the district round, make the list for the city-level competition, and win a prize," Ms. Quynh said.
According to Mr. Nguyen Cao Cuong, principal of Thai Thinh Secondary School in Dong Da district, the high school entrance exams for gifted students are costly, arduous, and offer no priority in the 10th grade admissions process, so many students and parents lack the motivation to participate.
Mr. Cuong stated that many schools are currently facing difficulties in forming teams for this reason. Meanwhile, early identification and nurturing of students with a talent for a specific subject is fundamental to creating outstanding individuals, contributing to building a high-quality workforce for the future.
The principal of a junior high school in Ba Dinh district also agreed. She believes that the common purpose of exams is to evaluate and record the results of teaching and learning, thereby encouraging and motivating students.
"The incentive aspect in education, specifically in gifted student competitions, needs to be more clearly defined. I support adding points to the 10th-grade exam scores for students who win prizes," she said.
According to her, the policy of awarding bonus points may not apply to everyone in the short term, but it is "very necessary" to prioritize first-place winners. She believes these students are all very talented, and it would be a great pity if they made a mistake in the specialized entrance exam and failed. The schools would also lose a talented student.
In Hanoi, in addition to the 119 public high schools under the Department of Education and Training, there are also four specialized high schools affiliated with universities, which conduct independent admissions for 10th grade. Among these, the Hanoi University of Education's specialized high school and the specialized high school for Natural Sciences offer direct admission to students who have won first prize at the provincial or city level.
"This motivates students and also helps schools prioritize those with the right abilities," said Dr. Vu Van Tien, Rector of the University of Education, adding that a maximum of 10% of the enrollment quota for direct admission is reasonable.
However, Associate Professor Dr. Nguyen Quang Lieu, principal of the High School for Social Sciences and Humanities, warned that adding bonus points and granting direct admission to outstanding students at the provincial and city levels in the 10th grade entrance exam could lead to a focus on achieving high scores and chasing awards. This school, along with the Foreign Language specialized school, does not add bonus points or grant direct admission.
Explaining the decision, Mr. Lieu said the school pursues a holistic education goal, requiring students to be proficient in many subjects, rather than just strong in one specific subject. The decision not to award bonus points or grant direct admission is also aimed at ensuring fairness for all candidates.
The Hanoi Department of Education and Training stated that it has repeatedly proposed to the Ministry of Education and Training a policy of awarding bonus points to students who win city-level academic excellence awards upon admission to grade 10. At the 2021-2022 school year summary conference of emulation cluster No. 1, the five centrally-governed cities also requested the Ministry to grant them autonomy in determining which candidates are eligible for direct admission to grade 10. According to the Department, the Ministry has received the proposal and is currently researching and considering it.
Ms. Hang's son is diligently preparing for the city-level gifted student competition. Although the mother says her son won't receive any extra points for admission to 10th grade, she still believes the preparation process "gains more than losses."
"My daughter's ultimate goal is to get into a specialized History class in 10th grade, so being on the team for the gifted student competition will support her during her exam preparation and motivate her to continue pursuing her passion," Ms. Hang said.
Thanh Hang
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