Why do teachers "stop" students from taking the 10th grade exam?

Through research, the above content comes from the homeroom teachers of Tien Thiet Secondary School and Nghi Quang Secondary School, Nghi Loc District (Nghe An).

Tien Thiet Secondary School, Nghi Loc District (Nghe An) where the shocking incident occurred. Photo: Dien Bac.

Low score… no 10th grade exam

In late May, while students across the country finished the 2023-2024 school year, in Nghe An, information was widely reported that at Tien Thiet Secondary School and Nghi Quang Secondary School (Nghi Loc district), students with low achievements were not allowed to take the entrance exam to grade 10 of public high schools.

Specifically, after April 25, when the results of the second round of the streaming exam were released, class 9C (Nghi Quang Secondary School) had 9 students scoring below 12 points in 3 subjects. Ms. NTL, the homeroom teacher of class 9C, mobilized, guided, and advised students with low test results not to take the 10th grade high school entrance exam but to study at a vocational school to "save money for exam preparation" for their parents.

On May 2, Ms. L. posted on the class's Zalo group with the content "notifying parents that students with low scores should not be allowed to take the 10th grade entrance exam after the end of the 2024 school year". A student in the class then went home to inform her parents: "The homeroom teacher does not allow students to take the 10th grade exam at public schools". Upon receiving the information, the student's parents were upset and shared the information with the press.

A similar story happened at Tien Thiet Secondary School, after the results of the second round of the 9A class's streaming exam were announced, there were 4 students with low scores. Ms. NHT, the homeroom teacher, sent a private message to some parents of students with low test results to guide and advise them not to continue studying for the 10th grade entrance exam. In particular, Ms. T. sent a private message to NBL's parents with the content: "I will let L. take the exam a second time, if he tries to get a total score of 10 in 3 subjects, then I will let him continue studying for the exam. If he fails, please understand me."

Through information from parents of the two schools mentioned above, it can be seen that the majority of parents agree with the policy of career orientation for their children. Specifically, 22/39 parents of low-achieving students at these two schools voluntarily did not register their children to review and take the public 10th grade exam. However, there are also parents who believe that "not allowing" their children to review and take the public 10th grade exam is wrong, affecting their psychology.

Room without policy

After the incident, the Nghi Loc District People's Committee directed the District Police to coordinate with the Department of Education and Training, localities, and schools to conduct verification and clarification steps. Accordingly, working with the 9th grade homeroom teachers of the 2 schools, these people said that the policy of career orientation for final year students had been implemented in previous years. With the responsibility of homeroom teachers, the teachers did not want the students to waste time and family money to study for exams, so they had to guide them to learn a trade early so that they could have a job in the future.

Mr. Nguyen Van Thong - Head of the Department of Education and Training of Nghi Loc district said that the homeroom teachers of grade 9 of Nghi Quang Secondary School and Tien Thiet Secondary School implemented this work based on the responsibility of teachers towards students, and no negative signs were detected behind this work. There were no documents directing the Department of Education and Training of the district as well as the Board of Directors of the schools. Teachers only communicated to parents and students according to their experience and responsibility. However, it is possible that the communication process was not skillful, leading to misunderstandings among parents and students, which led to frustration.

It is known that Nghi Loc district has directed the district's Department of Education and Training to urgently review all secondary schools in the area, requesting to rectify the implementation of the orientation of student streaming, on the basis of voluntary participation of students and parents, to avoid causing frustration among parents and students. In addition, it is necessary to continue working with Nghi Quang Secondary School and Tien Thiet Secondary School to clarify the nature of the incident, the responsibilities of those involved to rectify and handle according to the regulations of the industry. For the number of students with low streaming test scores, it is necessary to work again with parents and students to understand their wishes and aspirations. If students have the need to review and take the high school entrance exam, create conditions for them to participate.

Source: https://daidoanket.vn/vi-sao-giao-vien-can-hoc-sinh-khong-thi-lop-10-10280946.html