Most of the first and second prizes in the 12th grade excellent student competition went to specialized schools, teachers and students of "mass" schools said they were not satisfied.
The principal of a high school said that after learning the results of the 12th grade excellent student exam two days ago, the students and participating teachers were heartbroken. The reason is that first and second prizes in subjects mostly go to students from specialized schools, and it is rare for general students to win high prizes.
The reason is that the Department of Education and Training changed the regulations on calculation of prizes. Instead of taking first, second, and third prizes from top to bottom according to a certain ratio, this year, students must score 18-20 points to be counted as first prize, 15-18 points to win second prize, 10-15 points to win second prize. father.
“With difficult exam questions, very few students score above 18 points. This year, the school did not have a first prize in any subject," said the female principal.
Candidates participating in the city-level 12th grade excellent student exam in March. Photo: Le Nguyen
She added an example, like in Biology, last year the school had a first prize with 17,75 points or a student of 13,25 or above won second prize. This year, most of the school's students only won third prize.
"There are subjects that teachers report are very difficult, such as Physics, so achieving a first prize score is almost impossible," she said. “Meanwhile, students in the national excellent student competition team were 'transferred' to the first prize. This makes students and teachers unhappy."
This is also the point that makes many schools, parents and students angry. A principal in District 1 said that with this way of considering awards, specialized school students could win more than 100 out of 115 first prizes this year.
"Because the national team has up to 167 students, most of whom are specialized 12th grade students," this person calculated.
Thanh Phong, a student in District 12, was disappointed when he learned the results of the excellent student exam. Phong took the Literature exam, scored 12,5 points, won third prize. If we follow last year's ranking, Phong could win second prize.
“The score gap from third place to second place is too far. For Literature, a score of 14-15 is very high," Phong admitted. But what makes me dissatisfied is that those who are part of the national competition team are naturally considered to win first prize.
"If you take the same exam and consider the same prize according to the scores given by the Department, it is unlikely that students from specialized schools will be able to win first prize," Phong said.
An official from the Department of Education and Training on the afternoon of April 6 admitted that although the percentage of students winning excellent student awards at the city level this year has not changed much compared to previous years, few students have won first prizes. second.
The reason lies in the award regulations. In previous years, the exam board judged and awarded prizes based on the quality of candidates' work and the difficulty of the exam. Scores for first, second, and third prizes in each different subject. This year, the Department introduced a common score framework for all, and the exam questions were also considered difficult.
"General students did not win high prizes because the scoring framework changed, it was not because specialized students took all the prizes from the general system," this person explained.
| School year | Total number of prizes | Number of first prizes | Number of second prizes | Third prize number | Number of specialized students winning awards |
| 2022-2023 | 1.975 | 105 | 722 | 1.148 | 581 |
| 2023-2024 | 1.958 | 115 | 404 | 1.439 | 647 |
Responding to the concerns of students and schools, Mr. Nguyen Bao Quoc, Deputy Director of the Department of Education and Training, said he would analyze, evaluate, and learn from experience in organizing and balancing the award rate for the exam. next year.
According to the principal of a high school in District 12, the Department should keep the award review regulations the same, that is, take points from top to bottom with a certain ratio, instead of setting a score frame for each award.
"Each subject has different topics and characteristics. Setting a hard score frame for judging will affect students' interests, destroy teacher morale and the movement to foster good students," this person commented.
Ho Chi Minh City is one of the localities that organizes two exams for excellent 12th grade students in a year.
In particular, phase 1 in October 10 is to select teams for the national competition. Grade 2023 students who make it into the team will be recognized as winning first prize at the city level. The rest will be considered for second or third prize depending on the score and percentage of students participating in each subject. Although open to all capable students, in general, this exam is mainly for specialized school students.
The exam in March is for students of non-specialized high schools (mass schools), specialized students are not allowed to take the specialized subject exam. At that time, the Department explained that this was to ensure fairness between students of the two systems, because they were oriented and trained differently.
Currently, students who win awards at the provincial and city levels are in the priority group for admission to many universities.
Le Nguyen
