VietNamNet Bridge - The math and literature questions raised at the high school entrance exam were viewed as being within students’ capacity to answer. Students said they could finish the tests before the deadline.

Parents wait outside school while their children are in exam rooms

Huynh Nhu Hoa, a parent in Hanoi, said her son could solve all the questions raised at the exam. However, she is still not sure if the son can enroll in the school she wants.

“The questions were easy for my son and they were also easy for others. Therefore,  I am not sure if he will pass the exam,” she explained.

“My son was an excellent student at secondary school. But I know the majority of my son’s classmates were also good and excellent,” she continued. “State owned schools don’t choose good or excellent students, they will choose the best.”

“My husband and I can earn enough money to send him to a people-founded school. However, we hope he can study at a state-owned school which requires lower tuition and can provide higher quality,” she said.

Studying at state-owned high schools is the choice of the majority of Hanoians. Students will only go to people-founded schools if they fail exams to state-owned schools.

The parents in urban areas tend to be more fastidious when choosing schools for their children. 

“Your child will feel bad if he has to study at a people-founded school which has students who cannot enter state-owned schools,” Hoa explained.

Tran Thi Thanh Phuong, a medical worker, commented that failing to enroll children in state-owned school is an ‘obsession’ of many parents. 

“Your children still cannot make their way in the world at the age of 15, when they finish secondary school. They need to continue going to high school. However, bad schooling environment will spoil them,” Phuong said.

Nguyen Trung Chinh, a parent in Thanh Xuan District, noted that the high school entrance exam is more stressful than the university entrance one.

“If my son fails the exam to university, he will have the opportunity to repeat the exam next year or work when he is 18 years old. He will not be able to look for a job now at the age of 15,” he explained.

“We have been experiencing sleepless nights in recent days because the future of my son depends on the exam,” he said. 

“In principle, the students who fail the exam to state-owned high school still can continue to study at people-founded schools or go to vocational school. But I don’t think this is the good choice for children at a young age,” he said.

Ngan Anh