Minister Nguyen Kim Son: Maintaining the high school graduation exam is very necessary

The Minister of Education and Training said that the high school graduation exam plays many important roles, not just simply to consider graduation recognition.

According to Minister of Education and Training Nguyen Kim Son, maintaining the high school graduation exam is necessary. This viewpoint was given by Minister of Education and Training Nguyen Kim Son when explaining and receiving opinions from delegates on draft laws related to the education sector at the conference of full-time National Assembly delegates on the afternoon of September 29.

Minister of Education and Training Nguyen Kim Son.

Regarding opinions about the high school exam, Minister Nguyen Kim Son said that in addition to checking whether students have met graduation standards, the exam is also the basis for an objective assessment of how well students have met the standards and how well they have met the requirements set out for each group of students and in each region.

The high school exam also provides more in-depth content when assessment is needed.

" The high school graduation exam is not only a graduation standard for students, nor is it only a basis for admission to universities and colleges. It is also a basis for making policies and adjusting policies for the entire general education system, not just the story of graduation. Therefore, at this time, we consider that organizing the high school graduation exam is very necessary ," said Mr. Nguyen Kim Son.

Concerned about the lack of preschool teachers in ethnic minority areas, the Minister of Education and Training said that the current mechanism allows teacher training colleges to select instead of taking entrance exams, creating preferential conditions for ethnic minority children. This mechanism will continue to be promoted through admission regulations without needing to be included in the law.

Minister Nguyen Kim Son pledged that the drafting agency will fully absorb the opinions, continue to review and complete the draft laws to submit to the National Assembly in the upcoming sessions, and will have written detailed responses to each issue raised by the delegates.

Many mixed opinions about the high school graduation exam

Expressing his opinion earlier on the issue of diplomas and certificates of the national education system, National Assembly Deputy Nguyen Van Huy (Hung Yen province delegation) expressed his agreement with the proposal to abolish the junior high school graduation certificate.

National Assembly Deputy Nguyen Van Huy.

According to him, this diploma is currently just a formality, mainly confirming that students have completed the 9-year compulsory education program, while this has been shown through the transcript.

" Organizing the recognition or granting of diplomas causes unnecessary administrative procedures, while the goal of 100% universalization has been achieved. Eliminating the junior high school diploma also helps avoid the mentality that after finishing grade 9, you already have a diploma, thereby encouraging students to continue to high school or vocational training ," Mr. Huy analyzed.

However, the delegate also pointed out the fact that in many rural and disadvantaged areas, a junior high school diploma is still considered an important certificate for applying for a job or proving educational qualifications, so suddenly removing it could cause psychological disturbances.

Therefore, Mr. Huy suggested that the bill should add provisions on building a system to confirm the completion of the secondary school program by means of certificates or electronic data instead. At the same time, it is necessary to step up propaganda to create consensus among the people.

Regarding the high school graduation exam, delegate Huy supported the option of keeping the exam as it is now, saying that this is not only a measure to assess the quality of general education but also an objective measurement standard for universities and colleges to use for enrollment.

" In my opinion, the high school graduation exam should not be separated from the university entrance exam, but it needs to be improved to make the exam more concise while still assessing the comprehensive capacity of students ," Mr. Huy stated his opinion.

Meanwhile, National Assembly member Tran Van Lam (Bac Ninh province delegation) said that the issue of "to take or not to take" high school graduation exams still has many conflicting opinions. He suggested that the drafting agency should analyze and clarify the advantages and disadvantages of each option so that delegates have a basis to decide, with the ultimate goal of improving the quality of education.

Another issue mentioned by Mr. Lam is the impact of digital transformation and artificial intelligence (AI) on education.

" Public opinion is very worried about students' dependence on technology, getting lost in the virtual world, or using AI without control, which stunts creative thinking. Technology is like a shot, if the initial aim is off, the bullet will go very far. We need to clearly and carefully orient the application of technology in teaching so that the final product is a fully developed person, not a dependent person, " Mr. Lam warned.

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