Banning 6th grade exams, parents are upset 'how will thousands of report cards with all 10s be considered'

The news that secondary schools must select students for grade 6 and cannot organize exams from 2025 has made many parents worried and upset.

Since hearing the news that the Ministry of Education and Training has abolished entrance exams for grade 6 from 2025, including high-quality secondary schools, Ms. Dang Thuy Quynh (41 years old, Thanh Xuan, Hanoi) has been restless, worried about the future of her 5th grade son.

With the goal of enrolling in Thanh Xuan High School and Foreign Language Specialized High School, since grade 2, Ms. Quynh has invested in her child's serious study, regularly taking 4 extra classes each week in Math, Vietnamese, and Foreign Language.

Each lesson at the center costs 250,000 VND, an average of 16 lessons per month, costing about 4 million VND. On average, the cost of extra lessons for children is nearly 50 million VND per year. The total cost from grades 2, 3, and 4 is nearly 120 million VND, not including grade 5 because the number of extra lessons is doubled to keep up. However, Ms. Quynh said that this investment level is still "not enough" compared to many other families.

" My child and my parents have spent their time and money to compete to get into a high-quality school for nearly 4 years. Now the Ministry of Education and Training has issued a regulation banning entrance exams to grade 6, leaving the whole family shocked and regretful about the money invested," said Ms. Quynh.

Many parents are in the same situation. They do not agree with this option and believe that only entrance exams can properly assess students' abilities and be fair.

Parents were shocked when the Ministry of Education and Training banned the entrance exam for grade 6 after spending hundreds of millions on their children's tutoring. (Illustration photo)

In addition to regretting the effort and money spent on his child's study during the past time, Mr. Bui The Phong (39 years old, Hoang Mai, Hanoi) is concerned that if secondary schools only consider students based on their academic records, it will be unfair. Because the situation of asking for points, even buying points, still exists. The assessment and scoring of secondary schools are different, making it difficult to accurately reflect the students' abilities.

"Prohibiting high-quality schools from taking entrance exams is inappropriate and unreasonable. In fact, in previous years, it is not uncommon for students to have been excellent students for 5 consecutive years, with all 10s in their academic records, but when taking the 6th grade entrance exam, they received a failing score," Mr. Phong gave evidence.

According to the male parent, in the past, his child focused on studying for the secondary school entrance exam, ignoring all competitions and awards. If schools now switch to admission, then besides a report card full of 10s, his child will have no achievements to fill out the application.

"With a high-quality school, if there is no entrance exam, what criteria will the school use to consider admission when the whole of Hanoi has tens of thousands of transcripts with all 10s and applications submitted exceed the quota?" , Mr. Phong asked.

Ms. Pham Thi Yen (37 years old, Long Bien, Hanoi) is also upset about skipping the 6th grade entrance exam and is worried that the admission process will easily lead to more negative factors, especially the situation of asking for help and going through the back door to get into top schools.

"The quota is limited, the number of applications to top schools is high, it is very easy for rich parents to buy points from grade 1 and buy city prizes for their children. Meanwhile, the entrance exam will help classify students better, ensure real teaching, real learning, real testing, real substance, and impartiality. Schools can also be assured of the quality of input," said Ms. Yen.

Parents all hope that if regulations are issued, schools need to have specific and detailed instructions so that candidates feel truly transparent and fair in the race to enter high-quality, key schools.

According to the regulations on secondary and high school admissions recently announced by the Ministry of Education and Training, from the 2025-2026 school year, grade 6 admissions will be conducted by selection. A representative of the Ministry of Education and Training said that the new circular aims to reduce the pressure of transfer exams for primary school students. Therefore, private schools or high-quality schools will also consider admissions, not exams.

Admission criteria are guided by the Department of Education and Training of each province or city; ensuring fairness, objectivity and suitability to the actual situation. For secondary schools affiliated to universities, admission criteria may follow the instructions of the governing body or the locality where the headquarters is located.

Regarding the process, the People's Committee at the district level will approve the 6th grade enrollment plan, including information on subjects, quotas, locations, criteria, enrollment time and announcement of results. The enrollment plan is announced before March 31 every year.

Source: https://vtcnews.vn/cam-thi-lop-6-phu-huynh-buc-xuc-vai-nghin-hoc-ba-toan-diem-10-se-xet-ra-sao-ar919091.html