Help students not to "sit in the wrong class"

Affirming the spirit of ensuring student assessment is accurate and avoids “sitting in the wrong class”, the Education sector has had many solutions to consolidate knowledge and support students during the summer, helping them study better before the new school year begins.

A class of students at Dong Thai Primary School (Tay Ho District) *. Photo: Nguyen Quang*

Not a mutant number

According to a report by the Ministry of Education and Training, in the 2022-2023 school year, the country has more than 105,000 primary school students classified as “Incomplete”, accounting for 1.14% of the total of more than 9.2 million primary school students. Of these, there are more than 52,000 first graders, accounting for 2.9% of the total of more than 1.7 million first graders nationwide.

This information has attracted many conflicting opinions. Many people are concerned about whether evaluating students like this goes against the spirit of encouraging and motivating primary school students as advocated by the Ministry of Education and Training. Some people are concerned that the current curriculum for first graders is too heavy, making it difficult for many students to meet the requirements... Others say that this is an objective number that shows a spirit of not focusing on achievements.

Providing more information about this data, Head of the Department of Primary Education (Ministry of Education and Training) Thai Van Tai said that among the more than 52,000 students classified as “Incomplete”, the number of students with disabilities, students from ethnic minority areas, and mixed classes… is quite large. The number of students assessing the quality of teaching at the primary level, including grade 1, is no different from previous years. The number of grade 1 students classified as “Incomplete” is usually the largest, then gradually decreases in grade 2, then grades 3, 4 and 5.

In Hanoi, in the 2022-2023 school year, the city has more than 813,000 primary school students. The end-of-year assessment results show that 99.56% of grade 4 and 5 students are classified as “Completed” the program. This rate for grade 1, 2 and 3 students is 99.3%. For grade 1 students alone, the “Incomplete” classification rate is about 1.4%, half of the national average.

Mr. Dao Tan Ly, Head of Primary Education Department (Hanoi Department of Education and Training) informed that this figure has not changed significantly compared to previous years.

Increase support, avoid "sitting in the wrong class"

In response to the opinion that the new curriculum and textbooks are still heavy on knowledge and difficult for first graders, Thai Van Tai, Director of the Department of Primary Education, affirmed that the number of more than 52,000 first graders classified as "Incomplete" at the end of the school year did not originate from the curriculum and textbooks. The reason is that when building the 2018 General Education Program, experts and managers paid special attention to first graders to make appropriate adjustments. For example, the Vietnamese subject was adjusted to increase from 350 periods/school year to 420 periods/school year, but the knowledge content did not increase. That means that the knowledge content is still the same but the study time is longer, helping students practice more thoroughly.

As the unit with the largest number of students in the city, Ha Dong district currently has 110 students classified as "Incomplete" (equivalent to 0.2%) who are continuing to practice during the summer. Head of the Department of Education and Training of Ha Dong district Pham Thi Le Hang said that most of the students who need additional training during the summer are students with disabilities, students with learning difficulties... "During the summer break, especially from the beginning of August, schools focus on supplementing knowledge and skills for these students and organizing tests and re-evaluations. If qualified, they will be promoted to the next grade, otherwise they will have to repeat the course," Ms. Pham Thi Le Hang shared.

Teacher Dang Hoang Ha (Giap Bat Primary School, Hoang Mai District) said that summer review and tutoring for some students is arranged from July, after which they take a test, and if they meet the required knowledge and skills according to regulations, they will be promoted to the next grade. For students with severe disabilities, the school's Board of Directors and homeroom teachers often consult and listen to the wishes and aspirations of parents with the spirit of support and creating maximum convenience for them.

Regarding this content, Mr. Thai Van Tai said that among the more than 52,000 first graders classified as "Incomplete", each student has not achieved a number of different contents. Therefore, during the summer, teachers will tutor students and if they meet the requirements, they will not be held back, avoiding the phenomenon of "sitting in the wrong class". Thus, there may be students who will be held back in class, but not all students classified as "Incomplete" at the end of the school year. The Ministry of Education and Training has directed localities to continue to manage and evaluate according to regulations, especially in the first grade of the school level. Because if they are lenient, it will cause students to have gaps in knowledge, which will be very difficult to overcome when they move on to higher grades.

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