'If you want to get into a high-quality school, you have to accept the rules of the game'

High-quality schools and specialized schools were established to create opportunities for excellent students, so if parents want their children to attend, they need to accept strict rules, according to education experts.

Last week, 35 applications, most of which scored 10 points but did not meet the admission requirements for grade 6 at Hanoi - Amsterdam High School for the Gifted, caused a stir. The reason was that these students were assessed as "Completed" in some primary school subjects, instead of "Completed well" as required.

Many parents said they were shocked because they had invested in their children's extra classes and pursued their goals for a long time. They thought that placing absolute requirements on elementary school achievements was too difficult and suggested loosening the application criteria so that their children could try their best.

Teacher Nguyen Van Ngai, former Deputy Director of the Department of Education and Training of Ho Chi Minh City, said that almost every locality has a number of advanced, high-quality secondary schools, although they have different names. These schools recruit students from outside their designated areas by considering academic records, entrance exams, or a combination of both.

Hanoi has five high-quality public secondary schools, including Thanh Xuan, Le Loi, Nam Tu Liem, Cau Giay and the secondary system, Hanoi-Amsterdam High School for the Gifted. All of them set admission criteria, using academic records to screen candidates. Only those who pass the application round are eligible for the entrance exam. In Ho Chi Minh City, there are two schools that recruit students in a similar way, including Tran Dai Nghia High School for the Gifted (6th grade admission) and Tran Quoc Toan 1 High School.

"These schools have a legal basis when setting entrance requirements or organizing entrance exams," Mr. Ngai affirmed.

For example, Tran Dai Nghia Specialized School requires students to achieve a score of 9 in Math and Vietnamese in grade 5 to be admitted. About 4,000 students who pass the application round will take an aptitude test to win 500 places in grade 6.

Hanoi - Amsterdam School receives several thousand applications each year, up to 5,000 in some years. The quota for grade 6 is 200 students. After screening transcripts, about 2,000 students are admitted.

According to experts, pre-exam screening by schools is common and legal because the number of students registering is many times higher than the quota. Parents should consider carefully before deciding to let their children join the academic race early.

Students line up to enter the capacity assessment test room during the 6th grade entrance exam at Tran Dai Nghia High School for the Gifted, June 2022. Photo: Thu Huong

High-quality secondary schools help diversify school models, meeting the needs of many groups of students, said Dr. Chu Cam Tho, Head of the Education Evaluation Research Department of the Vietnam Institute of Educational Sciences .

Normally, students from a commune or ward will enter a public secondary school in that area, called enrollment by route. This creates convenience in transportation, but can also prevent some students with outstanding abilities from developing in a suitable environment.

"The establishment of high-quality schools creates opportunities for good students, meets the potential of learners, and thereby helps education develop," said Ms. Tho.

Therefore, parents who want their children to study at these schools need to accept the "rules of the game", according to Dr. Vu Thu Huong, former lecturer at the Faculty of Primary Education, Hanoi National University of Education.

"Schools have the right to set admission requirements, there is no special treatment for any student. That is fair. It is normal for students to not meet the school's standards and be eliminated," Ms. Huong said.

Even if the preliminary round based on academic records is eliminated and all candidates are admitted, the level of competition will not decrease, according to Ms. Huong. She asserted that when the demand for admission to selective schools is many times higher than the capacity to meet the demand, the race to get into schools is inevitably tense.

Primary school results of a student who registered for the 6th grade exam at Hanoi - Amsterdam High School for the Gifted, but was eliminated. Photo: Provided by parent

However, as someone who has been closely involved with primary school for many years, Mr. Dao Chi Manh, principal of Hoi Hop B Primary School, Vinh Phuc, believes that the preliminary round should be eliminated. The reason is that during the 5 years of school, young students cannot avoid periods of negligence, illness, and difficulty maintaining their achievements.

"It is very difficult for a child to be good at all subjects. To have such a comprehensive report card, they have to study a lot, both at school and in extra classes," he said.

Teacher Ngai of Ho Chi Minh City recommends that parents should guide their children based on their actual abilities, not too much expectation or pressure.

"If your child does not get into a selective school, parents do not need to be too stressed, because they can still get into a public school," he reminded. Families with means can also send their children to private schools to study foreign programs.

Primary school is a stage where children need to develop their physical, mental, social skills and emotional intelligence (EQ), rather than just academic knowledge. If they are pushed too hard or disappointed, they will face psychological pressure early, educators warn parents. The psychological damage to children is not something that can be seen immediately, but the consequences are very serious.

Ms. Tho commented that achievements in primary school are not sustainable and are not a measure of talent. What children can do at this stage only reflects their cognitive and thinking potential.

"If you only rely on some academic achievements, believe that your child has outstanding abilities, and then race to get into a selective school, the results may not match the child's true abilities," Ms. Tho warned.

Thanh Hang - Binh Minh

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