Schools adjust teaching methods after the Ministry of Education and Training announced enrollment plans.
(Baonghean.vn) - The 4-subject exam plan just approved by the Ministry of Education and Training has received the approval of a large number of teachers and students. After this plan, teaching and learning in schools will be adjusted.
Reduce the load on learning
One day after the Ministry of Education and Training announced the 2025 high school graduation exam plan, Phung Dieu Linh, a student of class 11A1 at Pham Hong Thai High School (Hung Nguyen), said she had read the Ministry's decision very carefully. "I think this plan has advantages for us, which is to reduce the amount of knowledge during the learning process. In particular, with English no longer being a compulsory subject, it will help students, especially those in rural areas. In the remaining time, we have the conditions to focus on graduation exams or university entrance exams," Linh said.
Phung Dieu Linh is currently studying in class 11A1, focusing on the natural sciences: Math - Physics - Chemistry. However, she is also actively studying for the English exam to get a foreign language certificate. With 4 subjects, Dieu Linh said that she plans to register for 2 elective subjects including English (which is her advantage) and 1 subject in block A (Physics or Chemistry).
Linh's studies from now until the end of grade 12 may have adjustments in time arrangement for subjects (major or minor), but she will not reduce the number of subjects for university entrance exams, because Linh is aiming to take the Competency Assessment Test and this test requires students to study all subjects equally.
Student Hoang Thi Tra, class 11C1 - Nghi Loc 3 High School also said: Reducing the number of subjects is reasonable and creates conditions for us to have time to participate in experiential activities. Personally, I plan to apply for university in the CO3 block (Math - Literature - History), so it will be reasonable for me and I only need to study 1 more subject to be able to complete the graduation exam and apply for university.
Changing the way English is taught and learned in schools
According to the 2025 high school graduation exam plan just announced by the Ministry of Education and Training, next year the high school graduation exam will only have 4 subjects, including 2 compulsory subjects and Math - Literature. The remaining two subjects will be selected from elective subjects, including Foreign Language.
The fact that foreign languages are only an elective subject is considered a huge change for the upcoming graduation exam, because it has always been one of the compulsory subjects. When the plan was approved, many opinions were concerned that with this change, the teaching and learning of foreign languages in schools would be affected. Many students would even “turn their backs” on this subject to choose other subjects that are easier to learn and easier to get high scores.
In the high school graduation exams, foreign languages are always one of the subjects with the lowest scores for Nghe An candidates. The quality of teaching and learning foreign languages is not highly appreciated, especially in mountainous districts or schools far from the center.
At Pham Hong Thai High School (Hung Nguyen), Ms. Ho Thi Ha - Principal of the school said that foreign languages are only advantageous for some students in top classes or for some students who wish to take the university entrance exam for group D. Therefore, the fact that foreign languages are no longer a compulsory subject will affect students' choices and many students will choose other subjects instead.
However, according to Ms. Ha, this will not affect much the learning of foreign languages at school: According to modern education and the needs of society, if people want to develop, knowing foreign languages is still very important. Therefore, whether English is tested or not, students still have to study and learn by themselves. Moreover, currently, many universities still consider English as one of the criteria for evaluating students' output. Therefore, if students are negligent in high school, it will affect their future development.
Instead of worrying, teacher Nguyen Thi Yen - a teacher at Thanh Chuong 1 High School said that changing English from a compulsory subject to an elective subject will change the way of learning and teaching in schools: English is no longer a compulsory subject in the graduation exam, but that does not mean it is not important. The Ministry's decision helps "untie" students who are "afraid" of English but are still forced to take this subject. On the contrary, students who study well or like to study can still choose English for the graduation exam, and in fact, students who love English study for a higher purpose.
In the future, I think that English learning in schools will follow two directions. In which, students who want to study at university level will study 4 skills to get international certificates and after finishing their studies, they will be able to apply them in communication and in their profession. For students who only pass the high school graduation exam and then go to work, they will study to communicate and meet general work requirements. In fact, knowing a foreign language will bring more open job opportunities, a richer source of knowledge and if any student intends to go to work abroad, it will be more convenient.
When English is no longer a compulsory subject, students will be able to "relax" when learning English, learn to speak correctly, write correctly, and no longer learn rigid rules to do exercises with correct grammar.
Soon there will be a university admission plan
Along with the graduation exam plan, what parents and schools are interested in now is the university admission plan for 2025 of schools according to the new program.
Ms. Nguyen Thi Giang (Vinh Tan Ward, Vinh City) has a child studying in grade 11 at Vinh University High School for the Gifted, saying: My child is planning to study information technology and is planning to study at FPT University after graduation. He is currently studying to get an IELTS certificate after Tet to consider the entrance criteria. But this is not a certain plan, because I am worried that when the graduation exam changes, the entrance admission plan of the schools will also have adjustments.
With nearly 100% of the school's students registering for university admission, teacher Cao Thanh Bao - Principal of Ha Huy Tap High School, Vinh City expressed his hope that universities will come up with university admission plans to facilitate schools in organizing teaching and for students to be more proactive in reviewing: I think the graduation exam according to the new program is now clear and the school will have a suitable teaching plan. But for university admission, we have to wait for the schools' own admission plans.
For a long time, in addition to considering admission based on graduation exam results, the trend has been to consider admission based on the university's ability assessment test. According to the old program, students could do this test easily because they had to study all subjects.
But with the new program, students will study subjects in the direction of career development, so the current assessment of capacity will not be feasible. I think that the draft plan like the current Ho Chi Minh National University is quite suitable, which is a combined test including compulsory questions in the subjects of Math - Literature - English. In the remaining part of the test, candidates can choose 3 groups of questions out of 6 groups of problems, including questions in the Natural Science and Social Science groups.
If the above plan is implemented by universities, it will be close to the current teaching and learning in Nghe An, because the current orientation of choosing elective subjects for students according to the 2018 General Education Program in schools is implementing the direction of developing qualities, abilities, and career development.
However, if choosing the aptitude test for university admission, students do not only study 4 subjects according to the graduation exam but need to study all subjects equally./.
