VietNamNet Bridge - The Hanoi Education and Training Department at the May 7 meeting officially instructed secondary schools to enroll students based on their records shown on school reports.

The students’ abilities will be assessed based on their achievements during school years from the first to fifth grades.

Students’ aptitudes in many fields, including arts and sports, will also be considered and converted into scores, which will be summed up for reference by schools. 

The applications from students from special families (their parents are martyrs or wounded soldiers) for studying at schools will also be considered.

Also at the meeting, the leaders of the Hanoi Education and Training Department officially rejected the enrolment solution proposed by the Luong The Vinh people-founded School that it will select students through interviews.

Pham Van Dai, deputy director of the education department, said the interviews will also put students under unnecessary pressure.

The solution is expected to face opposition from parents, who believe that the interviews will be unfair for students because the results will heavily depend on the interviewer's’ feelings. In other words, this may raise doubts about the transparency of the enrolment policy.

Nguyen Thi Bich Ngoc, Hanoi’s vice mayor, called on educators to listen to opinions from parents and society. She also raised a question about how a school will select students if 500 students have the same scores, but the school can accept 300 students only and whether a lucky draw could be a solution to the case.

Van Nhu Cuong, headmaster of the Luong The Vinh people-founded School, noted that considering students’ learning records would not be the perfect solution.

“A student may get a seven for his school work from one teacher, but would get a nine from another,” he explained.

Cuong also expressed his disagreement with the methods set by the education department to enroll students. “Which one is better, a lucky draw as suggested by the education department, or an interview planned by Luong The Vinh School?” he questioned.

“The education department’s leaders said selecting students through interviews will be unfair for students. How about lucky draw? This is just like gambling,” he said.

An analyst has warned that the new way of selecting students by considering their learning records would lead to wrongdoings. 

“Parents would be willing to pay money for good marks,” he said. “Teachers will be paid to fabricate students’ scores.”

In reply, Dai said the education department has requested schools to tighten the control over the assessment of students, threatening to heavily punish the headmasters of the schools where wrongdoings are committed.

The enrolment plans must be made public by secondary schools no later than May 30.

Mai Chi