Build more schools, aiming to eliminate the 10th grade entrance exam

Resolution 71 of the Politburo sets the target of completing universal high school education and equivalent by 2035. In his speech at the opening ceremony of the new school year of the Education sector in September 2025 and meeting with voters in Hanoi, General Secretary To Lam also emphasized the need to soon universalize general education and reduce the pressure of transfer exams for students.

Agreeing with this policy, many parents and teachers suggested that localities should prioritize investing in building more schools and gradually eliminate exams that put pressure on students, such as the 10th grade entrance exam.

Hanoi students compete for places in public grade 10 for the 2025-2026 school year. Illustrative photo

Apart from the four localities including Ca Mau , Gia Lai, Vinh Long, Lam Dong that consider transcripts to enroll students into grade 10, the remaining localities all apply the entrance exam method to enroll students into grade 10. However, among the localities that organize entrance exams, the pressure is mainly on some big cities, where the number of students is large, increasing rapidly every year but the schools are not enough to meet the demand.

According to many parents, this intense competition not only puts a lot of pressure on students but also makes their families tired because of the expensive schedule of pick-up and drop-off, extra classes, and exam preparation. Many teachers said that many students have fallen into depression when they failed to pass the 10th grade exam, and there have even been heartbreaking and unfortunate cases.

In Hanoi, due to the high level of competition, with an average of only 60-63% of junior high school graduates having the opportunity to enter public grade 10 each year, this exam is always considered "more intense" than the university entrance exam. In particular, in the inner city areas, the number of public schools is very limited and for many years no new schools have been built, making the level of competition for a place in grade 10 increasingly fierce. Given the above situation, many opinions say that the city needs to supplement and build more public high schools so that students have enough places to study, reduce unnecessary exam pressure for students, and move towards eliminating the entrance exam for grade 10.

Ms. Nguyen Thanh Ha, a parent of a student in Dai Kim ward (Hanoi) said that in the capital there are more than 2,000 public schools from kindergarten, primary school, junior high school and high school. However, the number of high schools is currently too thin, too few, only more than 120 schools, while the number of junior high school graduates taking the entrance exam for grade 10 is increasing every year, each year higher than the previous year, making the entrance exam for grade 10 in Hanoi always tense, the benchmark scores in inner-city schools are sky-high.

There are students who have achieved quite high scores, 8 points/subject, but still fail to get into public high schools because they choose the wrong choice. This situation shows that the need to open more public high schools is very urgent to ensure places for students, moving towards the goal of universalizing high school by 2035 as set out in Resolution 71.

Mr. Pham Huu Tuyen, a parent of a student in Ha Dong ward (Hanoi) also said that if the city has enough high schools, it is entirely possible to consider the option of eliminating the 10th grade entrance exam. At that time, students will be admitted based on their route and given priority to study at the school closest to their home. This is also relatively suitable when the Hanoi Department of Education and Training is planning to research and deploy a geographic information system (Geographic Information System - digital map GIS) to apply in primary school admissions. This system helps calculate the distance from home to school accurately, reducing the travel burden for students and parents.

Mr. Tran Manh Tung, a Math teacher in Hanoi, who has spent many years accompanying 9th grade students in reviewing for the 10th grade entrance exam, admits that this is a very difficult exam, "stealing" the childhood of students when they only know how to bury their heads in studying.

“At the age of 14-15, students have to enter a race that lasts the entire school year, causing unnecessary pressure. If we put students at the center and value their interests, it is time to end this exam. Although Resolution 71 sets the goal of universalizing high school education by 2035, the sooner it can be achieved, the better. In fact, some localities do not need entrance exams, and students who finish middle school will have their transcripts considered to enter grade 10 of high school. Other localities also need to learn to implement this to reduce pressure on students,” said Mr. Tran Manh Tung.

According to Mr. Tran Manh Tung, the Ministry of Education and Training has stipulated the methods of admission to grade 10 high school including: entrance exam, admission review, and combined entrance exam and admission review. Thus, if there is no entrance exam, high schools can apply the admission review to enroll students, even adding additional criteria such as awards and extracurricular activities. Although in recent years, the transcript has not been reliable enough for society, with the current policy of aiming for real learning, real exams, real achievements and applying digital transformation in education, if schools implement it seriously, the transcript is still one of the quite reliable bases for admission because it evaluates the entire 4-year training and striving process of students at the secondary level.

Along with that is the policy of urgently investing in building schools, ensuring public education for about 90% of students. After the merger, some surplus ward and commune headquarters can be re-planned to build schools or if the inner city is so difficult that there is no more land to build schools, it can be built in the border area, organizing buses to pick up and drop off students.

Mr. Nguyen Cao Cuong, Principal of Thai Thinh Secondary School (Hanoi) also said that for localities with a small student population and a sufficient school and teacher system, the removal of the 10th grade entrance exam can be immediately implemented.

But for large provinces and cities such as Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City... eliminating the entrance exam for grade 10 at this time is relatively difficult to do because the public high school system has not yet met all the needs of students. Therefore, to move towards eliminating the entrance exam for grade 10 in public high schools, it is necessary to thoroughly implement solutions on building schools and classrooms, preparing teachers; at the same time, promote streaming and career guidance; have specific policies to harmonize the two public and non-public education systems.

Mr. Le Trung Kien, Principal of Nguyen Gia Thieu High School (Hanoi) also acknowledged that if we abolish the entrance exam to grade 10 and move towards universal high school, meaning students can study near their place of residence, then the admission process will be truly fair. To do that, we must open more schools, increase the number of classes, and ensure enough places to study. If there are not enough schools, we must still organize entrance exams to ensure objectivity and fairness because the admission process based on academic records is still not reliable enough for society.

Source: https://cand.com.vn/giao-duc/xay-them-truong-lop-huong-toi-bo-ky-thi-tuyen-sinh-vao-lop-10-i790037/