Ministry of Education and Training explains why it "blew the whistle" on admission to grade 6

TPO - According to Mr. Nguyen Xuan Thanh, Director of the Department of Secondary Education ( Ministry of Education and Training ), in recent years, schools recruiting 6th grade students have mainly conducted enrollment based on organizing "tests and assessments of students' abilities" like an entrance exam, which is not satisfactory.

TPO - According to Mr. Nguyen Xuan Thanh, Director of the Department of Secondary Education (Ministry of Education and Training), in recent years, schools recruiting 6th grade students have mainly conducted enrollment based on organizing "tests and assessments of students' abilities" like an entrance exam, which is not satisfactory.

On December 30, 2024, the Ministry of Education and Training issued Circular No. 30 on the Regulations on Secondary and High School Admissions, which stipulates admission to grade 6 in all schools by selection. The Circular takes effect from February 14.

This is controversial because some localities currently have high-quality secondary schools and private schools with a larger number of applications than the enrollment quota will have difficulty enrolling students.

Mr. Nguyen Xuan Thanh said that previously, Circular No. 11/2014 of the Ministry of Education and Training stipulated that junior high school enrollment was conducted annually by examination. This regulation ensures that junior high school enrollment is carried out smoothly, effectively, and practically for the level of education that requires 100% of students to enroll according to the goal of universal education.

By 2018, in the face of the fact that there were a number of prestigious secondary schools with a large number of students enrolling, making the admission based on general criteria unable to meet the enrollment target, the Ministry of Education and Training issued Circular No. 05/2018 stipulating "Secondary school admission based on the admission method. In cases where an educational institution has more students enrolling in grade 6 than the enrollment target, the Department of Education and Training will guide the implementation of the admission plan based on the admission method or combine admission with testing and assessing students' abilities".

At the time of issuing Circular No. 05/2018, the Ministry of Education and Training also clearly stated that testing and assessing capacity is different from an exam. That is, when conducting admission to a secondary school, if the number of students meeting the requirements of the general admission criteria still exceeds the school's assigned quota, the school can combine testing and assessing capacity to supplement the admission criteria applied to the number of students who have met the requirements of the general admission criteria, instead of organizing an entire exam with many subjects for 100% of students applying to the school.

However, through the implementation in recent years, some schools have implemented enrollment mainly based on organizing "testing and evaluating student capacity" as an entrance exam for 100% of students applying to the school; the role of "admission" in the method of combining with "testing and evaluating student capacity" as prescribed in Circular No. 05 has not been properly implemented.

Department of Education and Training builds a set of admission criteria

Also according to the Director of the Department of Secondary Education, the newly issued Circular No. 30 continues to stipulate that the method of secondary school admission is selection, along with regulations assigning the Departments of Education and Training to provide specific guidance on selection criteria, ensuring fair, objective, transparent selection, and appropriate to the practical situation of the locality.

Accordingly, the Departments of Education and Training must develop a set of admission criteria applicable to all schools; at the same time, have separate criteria guidelines for schools that, after implementing admission according to general criteria, still have more students meeting the requirements than the school's assigned quota.

Thousands of students take the entrance exam to Nguyen Tat Thanh Secondary and High School. (Photo: Hieu Duy)

The specific criteria are not only the requirements in the admission application but also need to directly assess students in many different forms such as: questions and answers, writing, presentations, practice, experiments, academic records, products, and student activities (these forms have been prescribed in the Circulars promulgating regulations on student assessment of the Ministry of Education and Training) or tests and assessments of student capacity to ensure that admission is carried out fairly, publicly, transparently, and in accordance with practical conditions as prescribed in Circular 30.

The Director of the Department of Secondary Education also noted that for the enrollment of any secondary school according to the principles of Circular No. 30, the task of universalization must be carried out in the area. This is also the basis for the Department of Education and Training to develop admission criteria to ensure accurate, fair, public and transparent enrollment requirements.

Ha Linh

Source: https://tienphong.vn/bo-gddt-ly-giai-vi-sao-tuyt-coi-viec-tuyen-sinh-vao-lop-6-post1708416.tpo