According to the Hanoi Education and Training Department, about 135,000 ninth graders will finish secondary school this year, or 5,000 students more than in the 2023-2024 academic year.

Meanwhile, public high schools in the city will admit only 60 percent of secondary school graduates. The other graduates will have two options, enrolling in private high schools or continuing education, or vocational school.

As such, about 81,000 students will be admitted to public high schools this year, while the remaining 54,000 students will have to choose other ways for their education path.

Analysts noted that the quotas for public high schools are higher this year, but this doesn’t mean that the competition will be less stiff, because only suburban high schools plan to enroll more students than in previous years, while the number of students that schools in inner districts plan to enroll remains unchanged.

Huong Tra, a parent in Nam Tu Liem district, became worried after the Hanoi Education and Training Department announced quotas for student enrollment for every school.

Tra commented that the high school entrance exams were even harder than university entrance exams.

“Students have different choices for higher education. Meanwhile, we don’t know where to send my children to, if they fail the exams to public high schools,” Tra said.

The students failing exams to public high schools will still be able to continue their education by applying to private schools. But this is not a good choice for parents with modest incomes like Tra.

Tra said vocational school at this time is not a wise decision. 

“Secondary school graduates are still too young and they don’t know what they want to do and they may make wrong decisions about where they will go,” Tra explained, adding that the best choice for children at this age is continuing studying at high school.

Top-tier schools always set high required benchmarks from entrance exams, which may be out of reach of her son. And the schools that her son thinks he can enter are too far from their home.

“Teachers told us to apply to schools in the 'students’ power, but we don’t know what ‘in students’ power’ means,” she said.

Thuy Lieu, a parent in Cau Giay district, in Hanoi, has enrolled her daughter in extra classes because she believes that students who learn more will have more opportunities.

Lieu complained that she has suffered from insomnia and headache since the exam season has started.

“We still don’t know what my daughter will do if she fails the exam to public school,” she said. “We cannot listen to music at home these days as this may affect my daughter’s study. And we have to talk with each other quietly."

The mother complained that she and her husband sometimes quarrel because her husband has been requested not to turn on the TV to ensure a quiet atmosphere at their home. The girl feels pressure created by her parents. She cried bitterly once because the results of a mock exam were not as good as expected.

Luong Thu Thuy, a teacher at Trung Vuong Secondary School, confirmed that both parents and students feel nervous before exams.

She said parents sometimes put pressure on their children because they are too worried about their children’s exam results. It would be better if parents don’t have overly high expectations. 

A teacher at a secondary school in CauGiay district said that students nowadays feel pressure because they have to pass the exams to enter public high school to help ease the financial burden on their parents.

“Instead of urging children to study all the time, it would be better to give them a hug, prepare a glass of cool water, and listen to them,” she said.

She said that if children feel too tired because of hard studying, parents should tell their children to take a break and relax. Riding bikes with children is also a good solution that helps improve their mental health, thereby better preparing them for their exams.

Hoang Thanh