Parents are worried sick about their children's exams

Most secondary schools in Hanoi have finished the teaching curriculum and are now focusing on preparing students for the math and literature high school entrance exams. 

The students going on to high school this year were born in 2003, or the Year of Golden Goat, which saw the fertility rate increase sharply. 

The number of students attending the entrance exams is expected to increase by 22,000 compared with the year before.

Hanoi parents all are worried sick about their children’s exam, which is even more nerve-wracking than the university entrance exam.

A ninth grader at a secondary school in Dong Da district in Hanoi said that since the beginning of March, students have been focusing on math and literature, and neglecting physical exercises, music and arts.

Parents and students now feel pressure from high school entrance exams. Secondary school teachers also have to work hard to prepare students for the exams, because the percentage of students passing the exams will determine the quality of the schools.

Sources said as students sprint for the exam, they are pursuing intensive learning schedules every day, while parents have to pay millions of dong for the intensive learning program.

However, the intensive learning program is not enough for most students. Most students go to extra classes after school hours, and many students prepare for exams with private tutors day and night.

A local newspaper reported that a parent burst into tears in front of a high school for the gifted majoring in foreign languages because she failed to register her student to attend the mock exam to be organized by the school.

There have been thousands of comments about the woman which has been shared on social media. Parents agree that the entrance exams to state-owned high schools are too stressful for students. 

Urban parents now place high expectations on their children, believing that attendance at schools for the gifted is a must.

Nguyen Thi Thuy Nga, headmaster of Dich Vong Secondary School, confirmed that the number of students to attend the entrance exam will be very high this year. In Cau Giay district in Hanoi, only 30 percent of 5,000 students will have the opportunity to study at state-owned schools, which are preferred over private schools.

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N. Thao