VietNamNet Bridge - Hanoi students say they are disappointed as they cannot attend entrance exams to famous schools, while educators have claimed that investors will not pour money into private schools.

The Hanoi Education and Training Department has said that schools must not enroll sixth graders by organizing entrance exams. However, its decision still cannot put an end to the argument on how to enroll students for schools for the gifted.

“I am disappointed when hearing that the Hanoi Education and Training Department prohibits organizing exams to select students for the Hanoi-Amsterdam School for the Gifted,” a fifth grader wrote in her essay.

The student said she has been preparing for the entrance exam to the school for two years, and her efforts have been in vain.

However, what makes her sad is not the useless efforts, but the fact that she may not have a chance to study at the school she desires.

“Becoming Amsers (the word used to say about the students of the Hanoi-Amsterdam School – reporters) is the dream of many students. It is a pride for anyone who can go to the famous school,” she wrote.

“My friends and I feel tired,” she continued.

In principle, the student and her friends still cherish the hope that they would be lucky enough to be admitted to the school they want. 

The school’s board of management has announced that it will consider students’ learning records and achievements to enroll students.

However, an analyst noted that this enrolment method is not the best one, saying that the method does not allow schools to select the best students. 

“It is just like a lucky draw. You need to be lucky rather than good to obtain a seat at the schools,” he noted.

Professor Van Nhu Cuong, a renowned educator, also noted that considering students’ learning records, the achievements in competitions and certificates will not allow schools to find high-quality students.

Meanwhile, private schools have voiced their disagreement with the Hanoi authorities’ decision, saying that the watchdog agency has unnecessarily intervened in schools’ operation.

The headmaster of a school said, in principle, the education department has the right to tell state-owned schools what to do, but it does not have the right to do this with private schools. 

He said private schools run with private investors’ money and, therefore, they need to be given autonomy in enrolling students. 

“No one would spend money to develop private schools if they have to follow the rigid regulations set up by the State,” he noted.

The chair of the National Assembly’s Committee for Culture, Education, the Youth and Children, Trinh Ngoc Thach, while agreeing that it is necessary to ease the pressure on small children, noted that MOET is too much in a hurry to implement measures to reach that goal.

Thanh Lich