'Adding 10th grade exam scores to motivate excellent students'

Hanoi: The public 10th grade exam should give extra points to students who win city-level prizes, in order to motivate excellent students, according to the principal of Thai Thinh Secondary School and many teachers.

The Hanoi Department of Education and Training said in mid-November that it had proposed this to the Ministry of Education and Training many times. The Ministry had received it and was studying and considering it.

Giving priority points to excellent students in the 10th grade entrance exam is a topic that many parents and teachers have discussed in recent days. This is the time when districts and towns select teams and prepare for the city-level excellent student exam in January 2024.

Winning first prize in History of Thanh Xuan district, Tran The Quyen, grade 9, Kim Giang Secondary School, will participate in this exam.

"My child's goal is to win third prize or higher, and further, to be admitted to Hanoi - Amsterdam High School for the Gifted, majoring in Social Sciences and Humanities," said Ms. Hang, Quyen's mother.

The mother said that the process of studying in the team helped her son study with good and experienced teachers. The biggest concern of her and Quyen is that even if he won first prize in the district or city, he would not be given any priority when taking the 10th grade public exam.

"I think not giving extra points to excellent students in the city is inappropriate," said Ms. Hang.

Ms. Hang’s opinion is not unique. Many teachers and principals propose giving priority points to excellent students to create more motivation for them, as well as facilitate the training process.

Parents and students in Hanoi look at their registration numbers and exam room diagrams during the 10th grade entrance exam for public high schools, June 2023. Photo: Tung Dinh — Parents and students in Hanoi look at their registration numbers and exam room diagrams for the 10th grade entrance exam in June 2023. Photo: *Tung Dinh*

Previously, Hanoi and many other provinces and cities still added 1-2 priority points to grade 10 for students who won prizes at the city level. However, since 2014, when the Ministry of Education and Training issued regulations on secondary and high school admissions, this policy has been abolished.

Currently, Hanoi only gives extra points to students who win city prizes in the preliminary round if they register for the 10th grade specialized exam. The preliminary score is the sum of the excellent student exam score (2-5 points), four-year academic ranking (8-12 points) and junior high school graduation score (2-3 points). A score of 10 points or higher qualifies the candidate to take the specialized exam.

"Because the total score is more than 10, the excellent student award is almost meaningless," a 9th grade teacher commented.

Meanwhile, according to this teacher, to be included in the city's excellent student team, regardless of whether or not they win a prize, students must go through many rounds of evaluation, investing a lot of time, effort and money.

Ms. Quynh in Cau Giay district said she has "spent countless amounts of money" on her eighth-grade daughter to prepare for the math exam for gifted students three years ago. According to her, the district has many high-quality middle schools, so the competition for the prize for gifted students is also fiercer. In addition to regular school hours and two afternoons of math classes at school, her daughter takes at least three advanced classes with good teachers. In the evenings, in addition to her homework for other subjects, the female student continues to study math on her own.

"This is preparation for my child to pass the district round, be on the city competition list and win a prize," said Ms. Quynh.

It is expensive and hard work but there is no priority when considering admission to grade 10, so many students and parents have no motivation to participate in exams to select excellent students, according to Mr. Nguyen Cao Cuong, principal of Thai Thinh Secondary School, Dong Da District.

Mr. Cuong said that many schools are currently having difficulty forming teams for this reason. Meanwhile, early detection and nurturing of students with a natural aptitude for a particular subject is the foundation for the process of creating outstanding individuals, contributing to building high-quality human resources for the future.

The principal of a secondary school in Ba Dinh district also agreed. She said that the general purpose of the exams is to evaluate and record teaching and learning results, thereby encouraging and motivating students.

"Incentives in education, specifically the excellent student exam, need to be more clearly defined. I support adding extra points to the 10th grade exam for students who win prizes," she said.

According to her, the policy of adding extra points may not be applied to everyone in the short term, but it is "very necessary" to give priority to first-place winners. She believes that these students are all very talented, and if they are unlucky enough to make a mistake in the specialized exam and fail, it will be a pity. The schools will also lose a talented student.

In Hanoi, in addition to 119 public high schools under the Department of Education and Training, there are four specialized schools under universities that independently recruit 10th graders. Of these, the Hanoi National University of Education and the Natural Sciences Specialized School directly recruit students who have won first prizes at the provincial and city levels.

"This encourages students and also helps schools give appropriate priority to those with ability," said Dr. Vu Van Tien, Principal of the Pedagogical University, adding that a direct admission rate of up to 10% of the target is reasonable.

However, Associate Professor Dr. Nguyen Quang Lieu, Principal of the High School for the Gifted in Social Sciences and Humanities, warned that adding points and directly admitting excellent students from provinces and cities in the 10th grade entrance exam could cause the disease of achievement and competition. This school, along with the Foreign Language School, does not add priority points or directly admit students.

Explaining, Mr. Lieu said the school pursues the goal of comprehensive education, requiring students to be competent in many subjects, instead of just being strong in one specific subject. Not adding priority points and direct admission also aims to create fairness for all candidates.

Ms. Hang's son is diligently studying for the city's excellent student exam. Although his mother said that her son did not get extra points to enter 10th grade, she still considers the study process "more beneficial than harmful."

"My child's ultimate goal is to take the 10th grade History exam, so being on the gifted student team will support him during the exam preparation process and motivate him to continue pursuing his passion," said Ms. Hang.

Thanh Hang

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