Every year, around mid-May, one of the most headlined topics in the newspapers and also attracting the most attention is “competition rate for public grade 10”. In Hanoi alone, the “hottest” area for public grade 10 entrance exams, this school year, according to statistics from the Hanoi Department of Education and Training, the average competition rate for grade 10 public high schools in Hanoi this year is about 1/1.79. Specifically, the number of students graduating from grade 9 this year is 129,210, but only about 72,000 students - equivalent to 55.7% will be admitted to grade 10 public high schools. Meanwhile, in
Ho Chi Minh City, the area for the 10th grade entrance exam is "hot" and fierce, if not even more so. On May 12, 2023, the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Education and Training announced the number of candidates registering for the 10th grade entrance exam, including the regular (general), specialized and integrated systems. The regular 10th grade system has more than 96,000 candidates registered, while the quota is nearly 77,300. Nguyen Thuong Hien High School is the school with the highest competition rate for grade 10 at 1/3.5. Ranked second is Gia Dinh High School with a competition rate of 1/3, followed by Nguyen Huu Huan and Nguyen Thi Minh Khai schools with competition rates of 2.6 and 2.4, respectively.
The competition rate for grade 10 in public high schools is continuously increasing, each year is higher than the previous year. Photo: TL
It is worth mentioning that the "competition ratio for grade 10 in public high schools" is constantly increasing, each year higher than the previous year. For example, in Hanoi, the competition ratio for grade 10 in public schools this year is 1/1.79, the highest in the past 3 years. Last year, the competition ratio for grade 10 in public schools was on average 1:1.67 and in 2021 it was 1:1.61. Meanwhile, in Ho Chi Minh City, in the past 5 years, the competition ratio for grade 10 admission in many high schools in Ho Chi Minh City has fluctuated constantly. The school with the highest competition ratio for first choice for many years is Nguyen Thuong Hien High School, with a peak of 1:4.4; that is, more than 4 candidates for only 1 person. In the previous school year, this ratio decreased, but 2.99 is still a "tongue-in-cheek" level - as many students and parents likened it.
With a rate of 55.7% of students passing the 10th grade public exam, it means that nearly half of Hanoi students taking the 2023 high school exam had to accept failure. Low quotas, high competition rates, and unpredictable standard scores every year... all have made "the entrance to public schools increasingly narrow" a reality that many parents with children in 10th grade high school bitterly admitted for many years. Educators themselves, such as Mr. Nguyen Minh Phi - Principal of Hoang Van Thu High School, Hoang Mai District, Hanoi, also admitted: " The rate of 55.7% of students entering public high schools is a bit low. However, currently, the number of public schools is not enough to meet the learning needs of students".
Sadly, when sharing solutions to “open the door to public grade 10”, the Hanoi Department of Education and Training said that in recent years, Hanoi has been implementing many solutions, including prioritizing land funds for education; increasing resources to build and renovate schools and classrooms. But the results achieved are still very meager.
And so, when feasible solutions have not been found, when the door of grade 10 public schools is increasingly closed, where will students go, where can they choose as a destination for their 3 years of high school education? This is really a question that is not easy to answer, and even causes a lot of controversy.
In the 2023-2024 school year, according to the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Education and Training, non-public schools, continuing education centers, and vocational colleges in Ho Chi Minh City can accept about 51,000 10th grade students. Specifically, in the non-public education system, the 2023-2024 school year will enroll 30,394 students at 90 non-public high schools, schools with foreign elements, and international schools. In Hanoi, as mentioned, the enrollment target for public 10th grade schools is only 72,000 students (accounting for 55.7%). The remaining 50,000 students will study at private high schools, Continuing Education - Vocational Education Centers, and vocational training institutions.
Obviously, besides public grade 10, there are many choices, but what to choose is the problem. The story of studying at Continuing Education Centers - Vocational Education and Training Centers and vocational training institutions seems to be the solution that parents least look for when orienting their children. The reason for this reality, according to Dr. Pham Tat Dong - former Deputy Head of the Central Propaganda Department, is that the orientation that if you do not pass the public high school exam, you will be forced to go to vocational school, will create prejudice, whoever is stupid will have to go to vocational school.
As for private schools, “where is the money to pay for school?” is the obvious question hanging in front of most parents. “Deciding to study at a private school helps children and their families reduce pressure even though the tuition is more expensive” - many parents know and are fully aware of this fact, but in terms of the current general level, the percentage of households that can afford to provide for their children is not the majority. In Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City today, the tuition fee of most private schools usually fluctuates around 5 million VND/month and this is a large amount for many families. “ The income of both husband and wife is only about 15 million VND, which is enough to cover food and living expenses for the whole family, it is difficult to pay for children to study at a private school”, “If the child passes the public high school entrance exam, the tuition fee is moderate and stable. But if the child studies at a private high school, the cost is much more expensive ” - these explanations are probably not unique to any parent.
Children have the right to education… so obviously, finding an answer to the question “if you fail the 10th grade public school entrance exam, where to study?” will still be a question that must be quickly and satisfactorily answered. Increasing the attractiveness, improving the quality as well as changing the perspective on continuing education, vocational education institutions; especially, the vision of school planning, increasing the rate of students entering public high schools based on favorable infrastructure, increasing land funds for school construction… will still be “issues that need to be done immediately” today.
Nguyen Ha
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