Candidates taking the entrance exam for grade 6 at Tran Dai Nghia School in 2023 - Photo: NHU HUNG
In the 2024-2025 school year, Hanoi - Amsterdam High School for the Gifted will stop enrolling 6th graders because specialized schools are not allowed to have secondary and non-specialized programs. Previously, the Hanoi Department of Education and Training sent a document asking for the opinion of the Ministry of Education and Training and the ministry sent a separate response to Hanoi on this matter.
This regulation will not only apply to Hanoi - Amsterdam High School for the Gifted but will apply nationwide.
Hanoi: Child bursts into tears, parents panic
Ms. Thu Hue (Cau Giay District, Hanoi) whose child is studying in grade 5 at Nghia Tan Primary School said that she did not sleep all night, going to different groups on social networks to listen to information after reading news in the press about the possible suspension of enrollment in grade 6 at Hanoi - Amsterdam Specialized School (Ams School).
"If this is an official decision, it is too sudden, because there are only a few months left until the admission period. My daughter is good at cultural subjects, especially English since she was young. The family saw that she had the ability to be admitted to grade 6 at Ams School, so since grade 3, we have sent her to extra classes. Recently, seeing her determination and confidence, my husband and I have also set a goal for our daughter to enter Ams School.
When hearing the news, the parents were shocked and the child was shocked tenfold. The child burst into tears when I told him about this. His father had to reassure him, saying that this issue was not yet resolved. I am very worried that his psychology will be affected," said Ms. Hue.
Many parents like Ms. Hue whose children are planning to apply to specialized schools are disappointed. Some immediately went to look for other quality private schools the next day to "change their target".
"Abandoning a good quality educational institution, in a context where mass education is still at a low level, just to legalize it by law is absurd.
I do not object to the content of the circular or the provisions in the law - the basis cited for stopping the enrollment of non-specialized students in specialized schools. But when issuing legal regulations, we need to grasp the reality.
Special cases need to be studied to have separate regulations or appropriate solutions after the law comes into effect. In particular, regulations need to be clearly announced early and should not be announced close to the enrollment season" - Mr. Nguyen Huy Cuong, a teacher whose child is studying at Ams Secondary School, shared.
Mr. Cuong said he is not worried because his child is already studying at school, but because of that, he feels sorry for a good learning environment.
Thuy Duong, an international student in the UK who studied at Hanoi - Amsterdam Secondary School, shared with Tuoi Tre: "I was an Amser in Secondary School, then studied at another specialized high school, but I am always grateful for the opportunity to study four years of Secondary School at Ams because the learning environment helped me have a good resilience to continue taking the entrance exam to grade 10 of a specialized school and receive a scholarship to study abroad."
Students of Tran Dai Nghia High School for the Gifted in an extracurricular activity - Photo: ANH KHOI
Ho Chi Minh City: surprise, regret
Speaking with Tuoi Tre, many parents whose children will be entering grade 6 in the 2024-2025 school year in Ho Chi Minh City said they were very surprised by the news that specialized high schools are not allowed to enroll in grade 6.
Ms. Vu Hong Hanh, a parent in District 7, shared: "There are only a few months left until the first grade admission season, my family has prepared for my son to apply for grade 6 at Tran Dai Nghia School. Suddenly hearing this information, I am really confused.
My child does not go to exam preparation classes, but since the beginning of the school year, he has studied with his mother for 40 minutes every day to prepare for the Tran Dai Nghia School exam. Whether or not there will be an exam, the management agencies need to notify parents soon."
Mr. Dang Khoa, a parent in Binh Thanh District, suggested: "If we want to eliminate the secondary school system in specialized schools and not enroll 6th graders in Tran Dai Nghia School, the Ministry and the Department of Education and Training need to have a legitimate and convincing reason. We cannot rely on laws and regulations and then say that we will eliminate the secondary school system. Because the rules are created by humans, if they are not suitable, they need to be changed."
According to a teacher who is a former leader of Tran Dai Nghia School, the advantage of the secondary school system in Tran Dai Nghia School is not because the "competition" rate for grade 6 is very high, 1 "competes" for 9, some years 1 "competes" for 11. The most advantage of this system is that it has successfully nurtured and provided quality "seeds" for specialized classes in high school.
"If we do a survey, we will see that the majority of students who pass the entrance exam to the specialized high school system are students who study at Tran Dai Nghia Secondary School. Not only that, many students pass the entrance exam to the specialized 10th grade as valedictorians, and later achieve high scores in national excellent student competitions.
Most recently, it can be said that the two top students in the national excellent student exam in English in 2023 and 2024 were both students who previously studied at Tran Dai Nghia Secondary School. This shows that it is very convenient for students with potential and special abilities to study in a specialized high school environment" - the above teacher analyzed.
This teacher further analyzed: a specialized high school certainly has much better facilities and teaching staff than a normal middle school. Secondly, students with special abilities will be discovered, nurtured, and inspired by specialized school teachers to create a solid foundation for them to develop their full potential in high school and higher education.
"In our time, we only focused on expertise, training students in academics. Now, I see that Tran Dai Nghia School has been and is innovating a lot, having conditions to provide comprehensive education for students: enhancing life skills training, extracurricular activities, sports, scientific research... That means Tran Dai Nghia students today develop much better than in the past.
Therefore, although I am now retired, when I heard that Tran Dai Nghia might have to abandon the secondary school system, I was really sad and regretful. I suggest that management levels need to reconsider. If necessary, they need to make scientific assessments, see how effective secondary school training is in specialized schools, and then make a decision" - the above teacher suggested.
Proposal for stable enrollment plan for grade 6 at Ams School
Middle school students of Hanoi - Amsterdam High School for the Gifted are a quality source of recruitment for the high school level of this school and many specialized schools - Photo: CHU HA LINH
On March 6, a leader of the Hanoi Department of Education and Training said that it would propose a plan to maintain stability for students applying for grade 6 at Hanoi - Amsterdam Specialized School in the 2024 - 2025 school year. Thus, if the proposal is approved, Hanoi - Amsterdam Specialized School may continue to enroll grade 6 students.
However, this person also said that in the long term, there must be a solution to avoid violating the law. The Hanoi Department of Education and Training will advise the city on a solution to request a special mechanism for Hanoi in maintaining the secondary school system at the Hanoi - Amsterdam Specialized School.
The Hanoi education sector is implementing a high-quality public school model under the Capital Law. This is the only locality with a legal basis to implement a high-quality public school model.
The Capital Law states: "Build a number of high-quality preschool and general education facilities in the capital according to criteria on facilities, teaching staff, programs, teaching methods and educational services. Studying at high-quality educational facilities is voluntary."
Previously, to allow the establishment of a secondary school system at Hanoi - Amsterdam High School for the Gifted, Hanoi also decided to pilot a high-level secondary school system, creating a source for specialized students at Hanoi - Amsterdam High School for the Gifted.
The secondary school system at Hanoi - Amsterdam High School for the Gifted has affirmed its outstanding educational quality over the past two decades. Each year, this school only enrolls 200 students, but 2,000 - 3,000 students apply.
The admission method is approved and implemented by the Hanoi Department of Education and Training. Secondary school students of this school are a source of quality students for admission to many specialized schools in Hanoi.
There are two specialized schools nationwide that enroll 6th graders.
Currently, there are two schools in the country, Hanoi - Amsterdam High School for the Gifted and Tran Dai Nghia High School for the Gifted (HCMC), with a secondary school system (non-specialized). In both schools, the admission process is strict and the quality of education is high, so it is considered a specialized system in secondary school, although it is not in accordance with the current Education Law.
The secondary school system of Hanoi - Amsterdam High School for the Gifted was established in 2009 under the decision of the Hanoi People's Committee. The entrance exam for grade 6 has been chaired by the Hanoi Department of Education and Training for many years. Each year, the school only recruits 200 grade 6 students, but there are always 2,000 - 3,000 students applying.
In Ho Chi Minh City, in 2000, Tran Dai Nghia School was established with a pilot model of enhancing English and teaching 2 sessions/day, enrolling 6th and 10th graders. By 2002, this school was converted into a specialized high school model.
Ministry of Education and Training will tighten
According to the 2019 Education Law, specialized schools are established at the high school level, so there is no secondary school level in specialized schools. However, the fact that many specialized schools have secondary school systems has been a problem that has existed for many years. Among them, there are secondary school systems in specialized schools that have great appeal, becoming hot spots during admission seasons.
In 2023, the Ministry of Education and Training issued Circular No. 05/2023/TT-BGDDT dated February 28, 2023 promulgating regulations on the organization and operation of specialized high schools. Accordingly, specialized high schools will no longer have non-specialized blocks. Non-specialized public high schools will also no longer have specialized blocks.
Admission to non-specialized classes of specialized high schools or specialized blocks in normal public high schools will only be carried out until the end of the 2023-2024 school year. Starting from the 2024-2025 school year, new regulations will apply. At the same time, the Ministry of Education and Training will also tighten the implementation of the Education Law, stopping admission to grade 6 in secondary schools in specialized high schools.
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