Many managers believe that giving priority to IELTS candidates entering grade 10 helps reduce exam pressure and creates motivation to learn foreign languages locally, so it is a pity that the Ministry of Education requested to stop.
Last night, the Ministry of Education and Training requested localities to strictly implement the Ministry's high school admission regulations, which means not adding points or directly admitting candidates who have won provincial-level excellent student awards or have international foreign language certificates.
For the past three years, Quang Tri has exempted English exams for candidates with IELTS or equivalent, converting certificate scores to be considered for admission to grade 10. Achieving 4.0 IELTS, students are converted to 9 points; 4.5 and 5.0 IELTS are 9.5 and 10 points respectively.
Mr. Mai Huy Phuong, Deputy Director of the Department of Education and Training of Quang Tri province, said that localities using IELTS for direct admission need to consider more carefully, but Quang Tri's policy is appropriate.
Responding to VnExpress earlier, he explained that the policy aims to create motivation to learn foreign languages, reducing unnecessary exam pressure for candidates who have achieved a certain level of English proficiency, demonstrated by IELTS scores and other international language certificates.
"We do this for the benefit of students, towards the overall quality of the province, not for any other purpose," said Mr. Phuong.
According to the latest dispatch from the Ministry, Quang Tri province must stop this. Mr. Phuong assessed that this change is "not for the students", but said that early next week, he and the Department's leaders will review the regulations and advise the Provincial People's Committee to adjust the 10th grade enrollment plan, according to the Ministry's request.
Not only Quang Tri, some localities such as Tuyen Quang, Lao Cai, Binh Duong, Vinh Long also had to adjust their plans because they announced to add points and directly admit candidates with IELTS.
The head of a Department of Education and Training said he was "regretful" that IELTS candidates would no longer receive priority. He said the previous 10th grade admission plan had been widely consulted and had received high consensus from parents and teachers. The goal was to increase the effectiveness of the English learning movement in the province.
English certificates accepted by Quang Tri province in 10th grade admission - according to the plan for February 2024. Screenshot
Although the 10th grade admission plan has not been announced yet this year, since 2021, Nghe An province has used IELTS combined with secondary school transcripts to directly admit students to some intensive English classes in high school. This is implemented according to the province's own foreign language development project.
Last year, to pass the English specialized class at Phan Boi Chau specialized school, candidates had to achieve a minimum of 7.0 IELTS, other schools ranged from 6.0-6.5.
Mr. Nguyen Tien Dung, Head of Secondary Education Department, Nghe An Department of Education and Training, said he will review whether the province's foreign language project is affected by the Ministry's decision or not, but it would be a pity if the certificate is no longer used for admission.
Mr. Dung said the foreign language project has contributed to improving the movement of teaching and learning English in the province. In 2020, before this project was implemented, the average high school graduation exam score in English of students was 3.99/10. By 2022, this result increased to 4.53, and in 2023 it was 5.17.
"Many people say that learning a foreign language and taking a certificate exam does not necessarily mean you will be good. I think that is not the case. The process of learning and getting high scores is not simple," Mr. Dung assessed.
Candidates in Ho Chi Minh City take the entrance exam for public grade 10 at Trung Vuong High School, District 1, June 2023. Photo: Quynh Tran
The use of IELTS and international language certificates for high school admissions has been controversial over the past few years.
According to a survey by VnExpress with nearly 3,600 readers participating, 74% said that candidates with IELTS should not be admitted directly, and priority should be given to candidates with IELTS to enter public grade 10.
Mr. Nguyen Tan, Director of the Department of Education and Training of Thua Thien Hue, also has a similar opinion. According to him, to study and take the IELTS test, in addition to the efforts of the candidates, their families also need to invest a lot of money. Therefore, this is unfair to students who do not have the conditions or whose families are in difficult circumstances.
VnExpress survey results, as of 3pm on February 24. Screenshot
Having been a strategic consultant for the National Foreign Language Project since 2014, Dr. Vu Thi Phuong Anh, currently Director of the Institute of Training and International Cooperation, Hong Bang International University, believes that the Ministry of Education and Training should not prohibit localities from adding points or directly admitting candidates with IELTS and other foreign language certificates.
"Each locality has different economic conditions and student characteristics. For example, a place where English is very poor also needs policies to encourage and develop. This is a legitimate goal and desire," she said, believing that the Ministry can control the number by limiting the direct admission rate and adding points, for example 5-10%.
Regarding the minimum score threshold to receive priority, Ms. Phuong Anh believes that 4.0 IELTS is not high, it should be 5.0 or higher. In addition, provinces and cities need to combine with the results of other subjects to consider direct admission, and should not use IELTS scores to replace all 10th grade entrance exams.
IELTS is a standardized English test for non-native English speakers, assessing four skills: Listening, Reading, Writing, Speaking on a 9-point scale, then averaging (rounded). In 2022, the average IELTS score of Vietnamese candidates was 6.2. The highest score achieved by a candidate was 6.0, accounting for 22% of all certificate recipients.
Thanh Hang - Vo Thanh - Duc Hung
Source link
Comment (0)