Entrance exam: Should we draw lots to choose exam subjects?

A math lesson of 9/1 grade students at Ban Co Secondary School, District 3, HCMC – Photo: NHU HUNG

In particular, the expected content of the 10th grade entrance exam includes three subjects including math, literature and one subject randomly drawn by the Department of Education and Training.

Parents are worried

“We, the parents, were very upset when we saw the information about the draft of the 10th grade admissions of the Ministry of Education and Training. It is right that students have to take three exams to secure a place in a public high school. But why not set a third subject instead of organizing a lottery?

The Ministry of Education and Training and the Department of Education and Training know which subjects are necessary for students to take the exam, it cannot be done like a lottery" - Mr. Bui Minh Thuan, a parent with a 9th grade student in Binh Tan district, Ho Chi Minh City, said.

Similarly, Mr. Nguyen Hoang Thien - a parent in District 7, Ho Chi Minh City - commented: "Students in Ho Chi Minh City taking three exams in math, literature, and foreign language to enroll in grade 10 are already stressed and pressured. Our children are the first group of students to take the grade 10 entrance exam under the new program, and they are very worried because everything is new.

The drawing of lots to select exam subjects and announcement before March every year will add pressure, making 9th grade students and parents even more stressed as they have to wait in suspense.

But students will not sit still and wait, they will guess; they will listen to information on the internet… and waste unnecessary time. I suggest that the management agency needs to specifically determine the three subjects, this determination must be based on scientific basis and cannot be chosen by luck.

In a group of 9th grade parents in Cau Giay district ( Hanoi ), many people wondered: "In previous years, when Hanoi had math, literature, and English exams, high schools were still able to enroll students normally.

So why change it?”. Some other parents think that taking three subjects, in which in addition to literature and math, there is one optional subject from the remaining subjects is fine, but the Department of Education and Training should announce it right from the beginning of the school year.

"If we draw lots for studying and taking exams, both teachers and students will be passive," said Mr. Thanh, a parent.

Mr. Thanh also believes that this year's 9th grade students have had to endure changes in the curriculum, content, and structure of the exam, so they should not change it immediately in the way the Ministry of Education and Training has planned. Because currently, many students have already started to have a review plan for the three subjects of math, literature, and English. If there are any more changes, there will be a lot of disruption.

For many years now, students in Ho Chi Minh City have taken exams in three subjects: math, literature, and foreign language. Now, we should keep it that way to create stability and help students feel secure in their studies.

Thuy Trang (student of Nguyen Gia Thieu Secondary School, Tan Binh District, Ho Chi Minh City)

Students hope for stability

Huu Vinh, a 9th grade student at Tran Dai Nghia Secondary and High School in Ho Chi Minh City, said: “We were very confused when we heard that the Department of Education and Training would draw lots to choose the third subject. This drawing will create unfairness in the 10th grade entrance exam.

Personally, I am quite good at natural sciences but not so good at social sciences. This year I plan to take the entrance exam to grade 10 specializing in physics.

But if the Department of Education and Training draws the third subject as history and geography, I will be at a disadvantage in the entrance exam. Thus, the exam results will not accurately reflect my true level."

For the above reasons, many 9th grade students in Ho Chi Minh City proposed that the three subjects in the 10th grade entrance exam should be compulsory subjects in high school.

“For many years now, students in Ho Chi Minh City have taken exams in three subjects: math, literature, and foreign language. Now we should keep it that way to create stability and help students feel secure in their studies.

Not only that, with Ho Chi Minh City, I think choosing these three subjects is also suitable for the current integration situation.

These are also three subjects that we must continue to study in the high school program later on" - Thuy Trang, a student at Nguyen Gia Thieu Secondary School, Tan Binh District, Ho Chi Minh City, suggested.

Candidates taking the 10th grade entrance exam in Hanoi in 2024 - Photo: N.BAO

Support to avoid "biased learning"

Ms. Vu Thi Thu Ha - principal of To Hoang Secondary School (Hai Ba Trung District, Hanoi) - said that the entrance exam for grade 10 requires three subjects including literature, math and one randomly selected subject from the remaining subjects, which is reasonable.

“This avoids the mentality of prioritizing the main subject and underestimating the secondary subject, as in the past when math, literature, and English held the dominant position. When any subject can be an exam subject, all subjects need to be studied fully, ensuring the same requirements.”

Ms. Cao To Nga - Principal of Ngo Quyen High School (Hai Phong) - stated her opinion: Secondary school is the basic education stage, students need to study fully and ensure quality requirements in all subjects.

But if the transfer exam only focuses on math, literature, and English, teaching and learning will easily be skewed. “Parents worry about their children because of the short-term goal of passing high school, but from an educational perspective, we need to look at it more broadly.

Adjustments to ensure students receive comprehensive education at the basic education stage are also good for their children. If exams are difficult, they will be difficult for everyone, and if they are easy, they will be easy for everyone, so parents do not need to worry too much" - Ms. Nga shared.

A vice principal of a junior high school in Hanoi, when mentioning this issue, worried: "I'm only worried that this year's 9th grade generation will have to go through many new things because they are the first generation to study the 2018 general education program.

If there are many changes, it will make students more tired and stressed. Therefore, the application of new regulations as planned by the Ministry of Education and Training should be calculated at the time of implementation so that students are not shocked.

“However, in the long term, I support the three-subject exam method as the Ministry of Education and Training is asking for opinions. For a transfer exam, three subjects are enough.

In previous years, some localities had four subjects, and some even had a combination of many subjects, which made students stressed and overwhelmed. Having three subjects but one randomly selected subject will prevent schools and students from cutting corners in the curriculum and studying unequally.

The proposed regulation also creates a unified approach for localities in the entrance exam method for grade 10, although each locality still has differences in the third exam subject," the above vice principal added.

Seeking comments before drafting

Admissions to junior high schools and high schools from 2024 onwards will be carried out according to Circular No. 11/2014/TT-BGDĐT. This Circular stipulates that high school admissions can be organized in three ways: selection, entrance exam, and combination of selection and examination.

However, there are no specific regulations on the number of subjects and the method of selecting subjects. Therefore, each locality applies a different method.

According to Tuoi Tre's source, the content of the regulations on junior high school and high school admissions, including the content of the 3-subject exam in the 10th grade entrance exam, is only a plan proposed by the Ministry of Education and Training and is in the process of asking for opinions from the Departments of Education and Training to prepare for the draft of a new circular to replace Circular 11.

* Mr. Tran Ngoc Lam (Principal of Van Lang Secondary School, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City):

The third subject should be proactively assigned to provinces and cities.

I understand the policy of the Ministry of Education and Training when letting the departments draw lots to choose the third exam subject is to avoid lopsided learning and rote learning. But I think there are many solutions to eliminate lopsided learning such as testing, class observation... instead of relying on an exam. In reality, if students study lopsidedly, how can they graduate from junior high school?

Drawing lots to choose the third exam subject will cause confusion for students and put great pressure on teachers.

In my opinion, the Ministry of Education and Training should only require three compulsory subjects: math and literature. The third subject should be left to the provinces and cities to proactively choose based on the human resource development needs of the locality.

For example, Ho Chi Minh City is promoting international integration, so it can choose English as the third subject. Meanwhile, the mountainous provinces can choose other subjects suitable for their locality.

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/thi-tuyen-sinh-co-nen-boc-tham-chon-mon-thi-2024100608293882.htm