VietNamNet Bridge – HCM City Education and Training Department has decided to stop the controversial enrolment mechanism under which schools admit students based on their grade books.

From now on, all the students in HCM City have to attend the entrance exams to state owned high schools. Though the grade book-based school admission mechanism, applied for the last seven years in some districts in the city, is believed to have great advantages, it has become no more valid as per the decision released by the Ministry of Education and Training (MOET).

The ministry on January 30 released the Circular No. 02, stipulating that students have to attend exams to enter state owned high schools. Students don’t have to attend the entrance exams only if the schools cannot organize entrance exams, or the numbers of students registering to study at the schools do not exceed the “quotas.”

This means that HCM City will have to resume the entrance exam-based school admission mechanism.

When asked about the MOET’s decision, Deputy Director of the HCM City Education and Training Department Nguyen Tien Dat said no need to make comments about the decision.

“We have to follow the instructions by MOET,” he said.

Meanwhile, former Deputy Director of the HCM City Education and Training Nguyen Van Ngai believes that it is not necessary to organize entrance exams to select students for high schools. Unlike other provinces, where every high school has an enrolment council of its own, HCM City runs a common enrolment program applied to all the schools.

Ngai does not think that the numbers of students registering to study at some schools would exceed the “quotas.” Under the education socialization policy, only 60 percent of secondary school graduates go studying further at state owned high schools, while the others would go to people founded or vocational schools.

Some analysts also said that the MOET’s Circular 02 stipulates rigid regulations, unsuitable to the specific conditions in different localities. Local education departments should be given the right to apply the enrolment mechanism which can bring best effects.

The mechanism on admitting students without exams has been applied in HCM City over the last 7 years. At first, it was applied in three districts only, but the figure later rose to 9/24.

The local education department and high schools don’t want to organize entrance exams, which are very stressful and costly. They also believe that they can select best students by considering students’ 4-year learning records instead of the exam marks.

Because of the big advantages, the HCM City education department once planned to apply the mechanism in all districts and only to organize entrance exams to select students for the high schools for the gifted.

However, educators have admitted that the mechanism is not “perfect.” Ngai from the education department also said there are always advantages and disadvantages.

Phan Thi My Linh, Headmaster of the Binh Khanh High School in Can Gio has noted that the quality of input students has got worse in recent years. Students did not learn hard, because they knew they would not have to attend any exams to enter high schools.

Mai Thanh