Increasing the quota for admission to specialized 10th grade in Ho Chi Minh City

Le Hong Phong and Tran Dai Nghia High Schools for the Gifted will increase enrollment quotas for specialized 10th grade classes for the 2025-2026 school year.

Students of Le Hong Phong High School for the Gifted in an art class. In the 2025-2026 school year, the school plans to increase enrollment quotas for specialized 10th graders - Photo: NHU HUNG

"Both of the city's specialized schools, Le Hong Phong and Tran Dai Nghia, have requested to increase enrollment quotas for specialized 10th grade classes for the 2025-2026 school year," an official from the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Education and Training said in an interview with Tuoi Tre Online on the morning of March 4.

Le Hong Phong High School for the Gifted plans to increase 35 more quotas; Tran Dai Nghia High School for the Gifted plans to increase 70 more quotas.

"However, this is only the school's plan. The Ho Chi Minh City Department of Education and Training will review the teaching and learning conditions of the two specialized schools such as classrooms, teaching staff, etc. to decide on the quota. It is possible that Le Hong Phong and Tran Dai Nghia Specialized Schools will increase their quota more than the school's plan" - an official from the Department of Education and Training informed.

It is known that the 2025-2026 school year is the first year that 4 famous high schools in Ho Chi Minh City stop enrolling students for specialized 10th grade, namely Nguyen Thuong Hien, Gia Dinh, Mac Dinh Chi and Nguyen Huu Huan High Schools. Last school year, these 4 schools enrolled 770 students for specialized 10th grade.

So this year, Ho Chi Minh City only has 3 schools enrolling students in specialized 10th grade, including 2 schools under the Department of Education and Training, Le Hong Phong and Tran Dai Nghia, and one school under Ho Chi Minh City National University, the Gifted High School.

Why not recruit additional students for specialized grade 10 earlier?

Ho Chi Minh City has implemented additional recruitment for public grade 10 (regular class) since 2023. The additional recruitment was decided by the Department of Education and Training right after high schools finished the first round of receiving applications for grade 10. That is, high schools that do not meet their enrollment quota will continue to recruit additional students.

After 2 years of implementation, experts have assessed this as a humane decision by the Department of Education and Training. Every year, thanks to the additional recruitment, about 1,000 students who failed all 3 wishes to enter public grade 10 have a place to study in a public school.

However, public opinion has also raised the question: why does Ho Chi Minh City only recruit additional students for regular 10th grade and not for specialized 10th grade? While in reality, many specialized classes at Le Hong Phong and Tran Dai Nghia High Schools for the Gifted do not have enough students to fill their quota?

In recent years, the Department of Education and Training has had to organize an additional entrance exam for specialized 10th graders (in previous years, this exam was held after the end of semester 1, this year it was held after the end of the 2024-2025 school year). However, this additional entrance exam is not highly appreciated by experts. Because after organizing an additional expensive exam, many specialized classes at Le Hong Phong and Tran Dai Nghia High Schools for the Gifted still do not have enough 35 students.

So why doesn't the Department of Education and Training recruit additional students for specialized 10th grade right after the 2 specialized schools finish receiving applications for the first batch of 10th grade admission?

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/tang-chi-tieu-vao-lop-10-chuyen-o-tp-hcm-20250304091537191.htm