VietNamNet Bridge - The Ministry of Education and Training (MOET) has prohibited secondary schools from organizing entrance exams for sixth-grade enrolment, but has not clarified what the schools should do to select students.

The regulation will be applied throughout the country at both private and state--owned schools.

In case the number of students getting registered in a school is higher than the seats available, the school would then have to formulate proper admission policies and submit the same to the local authorities for approval.

MOET’s Deputy Minister Nguyen Vinh Hien also said there must not be classes for the gifted with intensive training curriculum in primary and secondary schools. This was done to reduce the workload of students.

Meanwhile, educators said the new exam regulation does not propose any other enrollment method.

“This is a question we cannot answer,” said Van Nhu Cuong, deputy headmaster of Luong The Vinh Secondary School.

Many secondary schools in Hanoi have been selecting students through entrance exams for years. These are mostly the prestigious state-owned schools and people-founded schools that are believed to have better facilities than other state-owned schools. 

The number of students registering to study at the schools is always much higher than the number permitted. Organizing entrance exams was the best solution for the schools to select the best students.

Luong The Vinh Secondary School, for example, planned to enroll 600-700 students in the 2014-2015 academic year, but received more than 4,000 applications.

“What will we do to enroll students if we cannot organize entrance exams?” Cuong said.

He said it was impossible to enroll students by analyzing their school records at primary schools, because under new rules, teachers do not give marks but only give comments at these schools.

Luong The Vinh School Board of Management said it had received many calls from parents who were worried about the changes.

Vu Thi Nhung, deputy headmaster of Marie Curie Secondary School, said the school could offer only 300 seats, but there are thousands of registrations every year.

“We cannot accept all of the students unless we create more classes,” Nhung said.

She said the school had not found a solution to the dilemma.

The representatives of Nguyen Tat Thanh, Hanoi-Amsterdam and Cau Giay Secondary Schools said they were still waiting for guidance from the Hanoi Education and Training Department before drawing up enrollment plans.

“We have been put on tenterhooks because the students don’t know how to prepare for seats at prestigious schools,” said Duong Minh Chau, a parent who wants to enroll his daughter in the Hanoi-Amsterdam School.

Thanh Mai