10th grade exam is more stressful than university entrance exam, many parents spend money to 'reserve' seats at private schools

Following closely her son's learning journey, seeing that he was under too much pressure and that exams were becoming increasingly difficult, Ms. Tran Thi Ngát (37 years old, Cau Giay, Hanoi) discussed with her husband to "reserve a spot" for her son, who is studying in grade 9, at Newton Secondary and High School and Nguyen Sieu Secondary and High School in the upcoming 10th grade entrance exam. These are two private schools that her family thinks are "quite suitable for the son" and are close to home, making it convenient to go to school.

This year, the reservation fee at Newton Secondary and High School is publicly listed at VND12 million per student for all training programs and grades. If a student enrolls, this amount will be deducted from other fees. If they do not enroll, parents will not get their money back. At Nguyen Sieu Secondary and High School, the fee is VND6-8 million.

Thus, parents have to spend 20 million VND to reserve a place for their children, equivalent to nearly 2 months' salary. " No one wants their children to fail public schools, but that is a possibility. Instead of being passive and causing my child to fall into a psychological crisis, my family needs to prepare backup plans," said Ms. Ngát.

The female parent believes that if she does not register and reserve a spot, after Hanoi organizes the 10th grade entrance exam and announces the results, the early admission schools will have closed the application, and students will have little chance to register. Although the amount of money spent is not small, she has never hesitated to get her child a spot in a quality private school. With this option, Ms. Ngát believes her son will have less psychological pressure in the upcoming admissions period.

Pressured by the 10th grade entrance exam in Hanoi, many parents quickly decided on a private school as a backup for their children. (Illustration photo)

In recent years, more and more families in Hanoi have proactively chosen to sit out the public 10th grade entrance exam. For them, this is not giving up but a practical calculation, based on their children's learning ability and their family's economic conditions.

Mr. Trinh Xuan Anh (45 years old, Hoang Mai, Hanoi) said that his son will not take the entrance exam to any public school in the upcoming admission period. Instead, the family decided to research and apply early to some high-quality private schools in the city.

" My child is an average student, the more we force him to study, the more stressed he becomes. After a while of trying to attend exam preparation classes, he showed signs of fear of studying, even insomnia. My husband and I realized that if we kept trying to follow the 'crowd', we might not only lose our place in school, but also our child's health and spirit," Mr. Xuan Anh shared the reason for staying out of the race to enter public grade 10.

Sharing the same opinion with Mr. Xuan Anh, Ms. Bui Thi Nhan (43 years old, Dong Da, Hanoi) said that every year, tens of thousands of students are expelled from public schools. Therefore, instead of forcing their children to study day and night, her family chose private schools.

"I told my daughter very clearly, just do your best in the exam, but if you fail, you will go to a private school. There is nothing to be ashamed or sad about. I don't want my daughter to be haunted by failure, because each child has their own path," said Ms. Nhan, adding that she has proactively researched and applied to a number of private schools. Her daughter still studies and reviews seriously, but is no longer so worried that she can't sleep or eat like some of her classmates.

According to Ms. Nguyen Thao Linh, a teacher at Co Loa High School (Hanoi), the 10th grade entrance exam in Hanoi is currently really fierce, with the competition rate even higher than some university entrance exams. Therefore, switching to private schools is not simply to avoid the pressure of exams, but is considered a deliberate and carefully considered choice.

"Parents today are more realistic, they care about many factors such as their children's mental health, personal strengths, as well as long-term orientation in the future. Private schools are now very diverse in models, with thorough investment, so they can completely become a reliable choice," Ms. Linh emphasized.

In the context of increasingly heavy exam pressure, choosing a private school is no longer a last resort, but a proactive and calculated approach. The female teacher also noted that, with the rapid and diverse development of private schools, parents need to choose carefully, considering the quality of education, training philosophy as well as the suitability to the student's ability and orientation.

According to the guidance of the Hanoi Department of Education and Training, if a student only wishes to enter a private school based on his/her secondary school transcript, he/she may not need to take the 10th grade entrance exam organized by the Hanoi Department of Education and Training. However, if a student wishes to be admitted to a private high school based on his/her exam score, he/she must register to take this exam.

This year, 77 private high schools in the city were assigned to recruit 635 classes with 27,919 targets.

Kim Anh

Source: https://vtcnews.vn/thi-lop-10-ap-luc-hon-dai-hoc-nhieu-phu-parents-do-tien-giu-cho-truong-tu-ar937843.html