TP. Hồ Chí Minh tiến tới bỏ kỳ thi vào lớp 10 | VTV24

Key Concepts

• 10th Grade Entrance Exam Abolition: A proposed policy shift in Ho Chi Minh City to remove the high-stakes competitive exam for high school admission.
• Summative vs. Process-based Assessment: A shift in educational philosophy from one-time high-stakes testing (summative) to continuous evaluation throughout the academic year (process-based).
• 2018 General Education Program: The current national curriculum framework in Vietnam that emphasizes competency-based learning.
• Student Streaming: The process of placing students into specific academic tracks or specialized schools based on their aptitude.

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1. The Debate Over Abolishing the 10th Grade Entrance Exam

The proposal to eliminate the 10th-grade entrance exam in Ho Chi Minh City has sparked significant discussion among parents and educators.

• Parental Perspective: Parents, such as Mr. Hoang, express strong support for the abolition. The primary arguments include:
  • Financial Burden: Families currently invest significant capital in tutoring and preparation starting as early as 6th grade.
  • Psychological Pressure: The exam creates immense stress for students, which has become increasingly evident in recent years.
  • Time and Effort: The current system forces families to prioritize exam preparation over holistic development.

2. Educational Assessment Philosophy

The shift away from entrance exams is rooted in the 2018 General Education Program, which advocates for process-based assessment.

• Summative Assessment: Traditional exams that measure student performance at a single point in time.
• Process-based Assessment: A continuous evaluation method that tracks a student's progress, effort, and development throughout the school year.
• Alignment: Proponents argue that using academic records (transcripts) for admission is more consistent with the 2018 program’s goal of evaluating a student's comprehensive growth rather than their ability to perform under the pressure of a single test.

3. Challenges and Risks of Admission via Academic Records

While the move is popular, experts and parents have identified critical concerns regarding the transition:

• Quality Control: There is apprehension regarding how the quality of incoming students will be maintained if the competitive exam is removed.
• Subject Imbalance: A student might excel in one specific subject but perform averagely in others. Relying solely on academic records could potentially disadvantage these students, causing them to miss out on opportunities for specialized schools.
• Historical Context: The city’s experience with alternative admissions during the 2021 Covid-19 pandemic serves as a reference point, highlighting the logistical and fairness challenges of non-exam-based selection.

4. Expert Recommendations

Mr. Nguyen Van Ngai, former Deputy Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Education and Training, emphasizes that the policy change requires a balanced approach:

• Dual Goals: The city must simultaneously achieve the training of high-quality human resources and ensure the mandate of universal secondary education.
• Strategic Roadmap: To avoid losing talented individuals, the city must develop a clear, transparent roadmap for student streaming.
• Comprehensive Assessment: Mr. Ngai stresses that before implementing such a significant change, the Department of Education and Training must conduct thorough research and a comprehensive evaluation of the potential impacts on the education system.

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Synthesis and Conclusion

The movement to abolish the 10th-grade entrance exam in Ho Chi Minh City represents a fundamental shift toward a more continuous, less stressful educational model aligned with the 2018 General Education Program. While parents welcome the relief from financial and psychological burdens, the transition faces technical hurdles regarding student quality and the fair identification of talent. The consensus among experts is that while the move toward process-based assessment is theoretically sound, it requires a robust, evidence-based framework to ensure that the quality of education and the identification of gifted students are not compromised.