Canceling the 6th grade exam, what will schools do with thousands of report cards with all 10s?

(Dan Tri) - Many years ago, the policy of banning entrance exams to grade 6 caused many schools to be in trouble because thousands of report cards were filled with perfect scores. The new regulations in Circular 30 have once again caused many schools to be "confused".

Hanoi: School "holding its breath" waiting for instructions

Circular 30/2024/TT of the Ministry of Education and Training (MOET) on regulations on secondary and high school admissions clearly states: The secondary school admission method is the selection method.

This means that "key" secondary schools in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi such as Tran Dai Nghia, Cau Giay, Ngoai Ngu, Thanh Xuan, Nam Tu Liem... will have to cancel the entrance exam and switch to the admission method.

The subjects of regulation of Circular 30 are all general schools, regardless of public, non-public and high-quality. Therefore, the enrollment of all secondary schools is affected.

Since November, many private schools have announced enrollment for grade 6 for the 2025-2026 school year. In particular, Newton Secondary and High School will organize a scholarship exam to recruit talented students in early December 2024.

Circular 30 once again makes many schools "confused" (Photo: Son Nguyen).

Similarly, Hanoi Star School will recruit talented students through a scholarship exam at the end of February. Nguyen Sieu Secondary and High School also plans to organize a grade 6 entrance exam in January.

In the public sector, Foreign Language Secondary School announced enrollment for the 2025-2026 school year from November 24, 2024. The school plans to hold the competency assessment test on June 1, with 3 exams as every year including English, math and natural science, Vietnamese and social science. However, due to the adjustment of Circular 30, the school's enrollment plan may have to change.

Sharing with Dan Tri reporter, Ms. Nguyen Huyen Trang - Principal of Foreign Language Secondary School - said that the school is asking for opinions from the leaders of the University of Foreign Languages ​​(Hanoi National University) about new admission regulations.

Mr. Nguyen Quang Tung - Principal of MVLomonosov Secondary and High School - shared that the school is also waiting for instructions and directions from the Hanoi Department of Education and Training. "We will strictly implement the regulations of the Department of Education and Training and the Ministry of Education and Training in enrollment. Basically, the school is always ready with enrollment plans, ensuring transparency and fairness," said Mr. Tung.

Canceling the 6th grade exam, what will schools do with thousands of report cards with all 10s? (Photo: My Ha)

"Admission based only on academic records is risky"

According to Ms. Van Thuy Duong, Vice Principal of Luong The Vinh School, Hanoi, not allowing high-quality schools and "hot" non-public schools to compete will make enrollment difficult and lead to many negative consequences.

Regarding the difficulty in admission, Ms. Duong said that this year the school's quota is about 300 students, but similar to last year, the number of students applying for the exam is about 3,500, equivalent to 1 to 11.

If not allowed to take entrance exams, some schools with "huge" applications will have to consider additional criteria using certificates. This gives rise to many problems and consequences.

"Many years ago, the policy of banning entrance exams to junior high school caused many schools to be in trouble because thousands of report cards were filled with perfect scores.

In order for their children to excel, many families continue to rush into foreign language certification exams and knowledge competitions to win expensive prizes. This leads to exams that are full of flowers or "running" to make their academic records look good.

Even many children who win swimming awards don't actually know how to swim, or children of primary school age have to rush into foreign language certification exams," said Ms. Duong.

Requiring both public and private schools to recruit students based on academic records is adventurous and risky (Photo: Manh Quan).

Given this situation, according to Ms. Duong, if regulations are issued, the school will have to comply and implement them, but the school hopes that the authorities will provide specific instructions.

According to Ms. Duong, the school will have to meet to come up with a plan, for example, in the near future, they will have to interview or do it in the following way: let students participate in an experience day, at the same time take an aptitude test, or interview.

"To promote the development of private education, enrollment must be a breakthrough, in which private schools are free to enroll students according to the professional criteria of the authorities, ensuring the requirements of facilities, teaching staff...

Admissions under the new circular will be difficult to achieve if the principle of only considering admissions is applied to all schools, public and private.

Public opinion has been overwhelmed many times by the reports with perfect scores. Meanwhile, there is currently no tool to ensure that the assessment of primary education quality (tests, reports) of schools is objective, serious and fair.

Requiring both public and private schools to only admit students based on their academic records is an adventure and a risk, which can increase the situation of asking for points, giving points, and beautifying academic records as well as giving rise to "secondary criteria" for admission, creating prize races to gain extra points for admission to grade 6," Ms. Duong affirmed.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/giao-duc/bo-thi-lop-6-cac-truong-lam-gi-voi-hang-nghin-hoc-ba-toan-diem-10-20250108213355091.htm