VietNamNet Bridge – A plan to renovate the current enrolment scheme has been mapped out by the Ministry of Education and Training (MOET) and announced at a recent conference of school presidents. However, the plan has not caught any attention from the presidents, because they believe that the new regulations would only be applied after many years more.

Renovation is the “job of the future”

In fact, school presidents many times heard about the renovation in the past. MOET once stated that the current enrolment scheme would be changed and announced the expected time for the changes. However, the tentative changes, which once raised worries among students and parents, were later canceled. That explains why students still have doubts about the feasibility of the renovation plan which was made public just some days ago.

Under the latest plan, the current “three common thing” scheme (common examinations, common exam marks, i.e the marks are recognized by all schools, and common exam results, i.e the exam results are valid at all schools) would exist until 2015. For the time from now to 2015, MOET would assign some key universities to build up new enrolment plans to submit to MOET for approval.

Meanwhile, from 2016 to 2019, there would be only one spell of enrolment every year, while there would be many exam subjects, including the two compulsory subjects (mathematics and philology) and other optional subjects. Especially, schools would define the exam subjects themselves which fit different training majors, while the current exam groups would not exist any more.

From 2020, when the University Education Law takes effect, the university entrance exams would only be organized at top universities and research-oriented schools. Meanwhile, other schools would select students after considering the students’ learning records.

Comprehensive measures needed for renovation process

Though the plan has been opened for public opinions, Nguyen Van Toan, Deputy Director of the Hue City University, still said that he advocates the “three common things” mechanism and the “floor mark” rule.

“To date, we still have not found any better solutions,” he said.

Nguyen Duc Nghia, Deputy Director of the HCM City National University, has warned that any changes in the enrolment scheme would influence several million students and have big impacts on the society’s life. Therefore, comprehensive measures should be taken and many relevant agencies should get involved in the renovation process. He stressed that MOET should compile a detailed plan to ensure the success of the process. If new ideas are raised, but they cannot come true, this would make students anxious.

Nghia has noted that the details of the plan suggested by MOET still cannot clarify which mechanism is better, one spell of exams, or many spells. The conclusion about the issue should be made only after conducting necessary surveys on the exam results of the previous years.

Deputy Director of the HCM City Education and Training Department Nguyen Hoai Chuong said that MOET should release the documents that guide the implementation of the new regulations, so that schools can get adapted to the new circumstances.

A principle has existed that students will be asked about the knowledge they receive at school. This means that when the exam scheme changes, the teaching and learning at high schools should also be changed. In general, educators have warned that renovation process would be a long itinerary.

For the last many years, scholars, educators, schools all have urged to put and end to the current enrolment scheme and replace with a new one which gives more autonomy to schools. However, no one can say for sure when exactly the scheme would terminate.

Source: Lao dong