Universities are busy these days dealing with high numbers of applications

Finishing secondary education, Huynh Thanh Tung decided not to go to high school, but studied hotel administration at an intermediate school in HCMC, though his friends and parents tried to dissuade him from doing that.

Tung does not regret his decision. “I won’t have to spend too much time on studying and I can earn my living soon,” he said.

Tung now has an extra job at a small private hotel in HCMC which gives him money and experience.

Vietnamese students are encouraged to go to vocational schools after finishing secondary and high education. The government tries to attract students to vocational schools by offering tuition remission for students. However, the efforts have not brought desired effects. 

In HCMC, about 20,000 students finish secondary education each year and fail the entrance exams to state-owned high schools. However, they still do not want to go to vocational schools.

The 63 vocational schools in HCMC in the first six months of 2018 enrolled 6,283 students only, including students finishing high school. Meanwhile, the schools planned to enroll 36,000 this year.

Vocational schools confirmed that the number of students applying at their schools so far remains modest. 

According to Hoang Van Phuc, rector of the Polytechnic Vocational College, only 150 students have enrolled so far. At Viet Giao School, only 340 students have enrolled.

Viet Giao’s rector Tran Phuong said unlike universities, which only receive students in summer, vocational schools admit students all year round. The enrollment situation this year seems to be better than 2017, but concerns still exist.

In principle, the targets of vocational schools are secondary school graduates. However, in reality, schools cannot attract students.

Of 150 students the Polytechnic Vocational College has enrolled, only 40 percent of students finished secondary school and 60 percent finished high school. At Viet Giao, 50 percent finished high school. The figures show that students want to continue studying at high school and apply for universities, and they only go to vocational school as the last resort.

Phuong believes that the career guidance to secondary school students remains ineffective because teachers do not attach much importance to this work. They believe that students have to finish high school.

The rector of another vocational school revealed that he doesn’t have opportunity to access secondary school students if he doesn’t have good personal relations with the schools’ headmasters.

RELATED NEWS

High-school finals: one exam, two purposes

Exam cheating scandal shows dark side of Vietnam’s education

Mai Nam