Debate on 10th grade exam or admission to reduce pressure and ensure fairness?

In response to the statement of a delegate discussing at the National Assembly session that the 10th grade exam is 'creating heavy pressure, making students lethargic, even desperate', many opinions expressed their views and analyzed whether to abolish or keep this exam.

Candidates taking the 10th grade exam for the 2025-2026 school year

PHOTO: DAO NGOC THACH

Need a solution to not take the 10th grade exam

On the morning of December 4, speaking at the 10th session of the 15th National Assembly, delegate Nguyen Thi Tuyet Nga ( Quang Tri ) said that the 10th grade exam is creating heavy pressure, making students lethargic, even desperate if they fail the exam.

According to Ms. Nga, the 10th grade exam is becoming a "miniature national exam" with heavy pressure. Citing the low rate of students entering high school in some localities, it shows that "we have not properly ensured the right to access 12 years of general education ".

"Seeing the exhausted, dull faces of 15-year-old children under pressure from exams, reading the desperate letters of children who failed the high school entrance exam, my heart aches," she said.

Another paradox pointed out by Ms. Nga is that the public school entrance exam is "too tough", many students, despite studying well, cannot pass the competitive exams. As a result, students from poor families are forced to go to private schools, with tuition fees that are beyond their family's ability.

Therefore, Ms. Nga recommended improving the exam and adjusting the 10th grade admission method to reduce pressure and create more opportunities for students.

In response to the discussion of the National Assembly delegates, Mr. Hoang Van Giau, a parent of a 10th grade student at a high school in Xuan Hoa ward, Ho Chi Minh City, expressed that the 10th grade exam is even more stressful than the national high school graduation exam, and is truly a nightmare for some families. Parents put unnecessary pressure on their children, trying every way to make them study and practice in hopes of getting them a place in a public school.

Therefore, this parent proposed a form of admission to grade 10, along with a policy of building schools to reduce pressure and meet the capacity and aspirations of many students.

Mr. Huynh Thanh Phu, Principal of Bui Thi Xuan High School (Ben Thanh Ward, Ho Chi Minh City), said that exams will cause psychological pressure and cost parents money in investing in their children; and the government will have to budget for the organization.

Therefore, it is necessary to find a solution to not have to take exams but still be able to recruit students to suitable schools. It is possible to use the learning results at lower levels along with other criteria and conditions on other skills to consider admission to grade 10.

There are many controversial opinions about whether or not to take the 10th grade exam.

PHOTO: DAO NGOC THACH

10th grade exam to ensure fairness

However, from another perspective, many opinions believe that there should be an entrance exam for high school students because if there is no exam, the motivation to study will decrease. There are especially concerns about fairness and transparency if there is no exam.

Parent Nguyen Thi Bich Van, whose child is studying in grade 10 at Tran Dai Nghia Secondary and High School (Saigon Ward, Ho Chi Minh City), frankly stated her opinion: "In localities where there is no pressure on schools or the number of students, not organizing entrance exams at the beginning of the school year is necessary.

As for localities with pressures like Ho Chi Minh City, eliminating the 10th grade exam for admission is completely inappropriate, at least for the next few school years when the number of schools in some areas is still difficult. Only by taking the entrance exam and making common questions can we screen and have the most accurate results, ensuring fairness as well as having a basis for selecting students for each group of schools.

Or a reader of Thanh Nien Newspaper said that the quality of teaching at each school is completely different, and that lumping it together for admission is unfair to students. Entrance exams are a much fairer form of admission than selection, and even though it is difficult, it should still be done. "If you give up on anything difficult or stressful, you will fall behind," this reader emphasized.

Ho Chi Minh City: combining both forms of admission and entrance exam for grade 10

It is known that in Ho Chi Minh City, the Department of Education and Training plans that the upcoming 10th grade entrance exam for the 2026-2027 school year will combine both admission and entrance exams to suit the reality after the merger with the old Binh Duong and Ba Ria-Vung Tau.

Specifically, the form of admission to grade 10 of public high schools will be implemented in some specific areas. Public high schools in the remaining areas will enroll grade 10 students by entrance exam with 3 subjects: literature, math, foreign language. This is to maintain stability, create convenience for parents, students and schools after the merger of 3 localities. Specialized departments will calculate and build specific plans for each area, each school to consider and take the entrance exam appropriately.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/tranh-luan-lop-10-thi-hay-xet-tuyen-de-giam-ap-luc-dam-bao-cong-bang-185251204163309182.htm