VietNamNet Bridge – Art schools have all called for their autonomy in enrolling students. They want the right to decide how many students to receive and what exam subjects students need to take.

The 10 school arts, which the Ministry of Education and Training allowed to enroll students themselves, now gear up to draw their enrolment plan for the 2013 academic year.

They include the Vietnam National Academy of Music, Hue Academy of Music, Music Academy of HCM City, Vietnam University of Fine Arts, HCM City University of Fine Arts, the Central University of Arts Education, Dong Nai College of Decorative Fine Arts, Vietnam Dance College, Northwest Junior College of Culture and Art, Viet Bac Junior College of Culture and Arts.

Tran Thanh Hiep, President of the Hanoi Academy of Theatre and Cinema, said the candidates attending the entrance exams to art schools should not be required to attend the literature exam.

“It’d be better to remove the exam, because the knowledge in the field does not help much in their future jobs,” Hiep said.

He went on to say that the candidates just need to show their aptitudes to be able to enroll in art schools. If so, talented students would have bigger opportunities to develop their aptitudes.

Also according to Hiep, in 2003, an artist failed the university entrance exam because of the low marks he received from the literature exam. However, the artist still made valuable contribution to the country’s arts and he was conferred the title of “people’s artist.”

Therefore, literature should be considered as an optional exam, the result of which would be for reference, while this should not be a compulsory subject.

Associate Prof Vu Chi Nguyen, Deputy Director of the Vietnam Academy of Music, also applauded the idea of exempting from the literature exam. The most important thing art school students need to have is the aptitude for something.

President of the Hanoi University of Culture Nguyen Van Cuong has suggested schools should be given the autonomy in enrolling students. If so, schools would exceptionally accept the excellent graduates of junior colleges or those, who win high prizes at the national competitions. The schools would have the right to organize exams themselves and raise exam questions themselves in the way to find out the best candidates.

Meanwhile, writers, poets and culturists have violently opposed the idea of giving up the literature exams.

Tran Dang Khoa, a well-known poet, has commented that casting out literature from the entrance exams to culture and art schools proves to be the “most effective way” to “kill” literature.

“Oh my God! One can still be an art talent without the knowledge in literature?” Khoa said.

Nguyen Ngoc, a writer, has commented that by agreeing to exempt students from literature exams, the Ministry of Education and Training tends to produce “arts workers” at arts schools.

Other experts also said literature is the “root” of all kinds of arts. A person with bad literature knowledge would not be able to enjoy the beauty of a comedy, a dance, or a film.

Arts schools still have not made final decision about their enrolment plan. Some schools said they may still require students to attend the literature exam, but would reconsider the way of assessing students’ achievements.

Van Thi Minh Huong, Director of the HCM City Academy of music, said there would be no change with the aptitude exam subjects, while the school is still considering possible variants for literature exam.

Dat Viet