The provincial-level gifted student competition has the largest number of participants ever.

The school has difficulty finding top students.

"I couldn't believe it when I saw the results. We even had to double-check the registration numbers several times before we could believe the school's achievement," shared Mr. Nguyen Van Hai, Principal of Huong Son Secondary School in Tan An commune, upon learning that his student had won first prize and was the top scorer in Civic Education at the provincial-level Grade 9 student excellence competition.

Huong Son Secondary School is located in a remote area of ​​the former Tan Ky district, with more than half of its students being from the Thai ethnic group, and facing many difficulties in teaching and learning. In the 2025-2026 school year, the school will have two 9th-grade classes, including Tran Thi Anh Linh.valedictorianThis year, Linh just transferred from a remote school. Her parents are farmers, and the school is more than 5km from her house, so Linh hardly ever attends extra classes.

Speaking about this year's exam, Ms. Vuong Thi Thuy Ha, a civics teacher, said she faced a lot of pressure. This is because, in previous years, when forming the district's team, many key teachers from the district would participate in the training. However, this year, with the shift to a two-tiered local government structure, each team only has one teacher in charge.

Due to the highly competitive nature of the provincial-level gifted student competition for 9th graders, Ms. Ha had to closely monitor each student during the selection process. Furthermore, recognizing that winning a prize was essential, the commune prioritized quantity over quality. The school and teachers were given autonomy, making their own choices and taking full responsibility. Therefore, from eight students, Ms. Vuong Thi Thuy Ha selected only one student to participate in the Civic Education competition and focused on exam preparation starting in August to help them feel confident for the provincial-level gifted student competition.

"

The new criteria for selecting the gifted student team after the implementation of the two-tiered local government system not only provide opportunities for students but also for teachers. For us, participating in this competition requires continuous learning and professional development to keep pace with the innovations in the education sector.

Teacher Vuong Thi Ha - Huong Son Secondary School, Tan An Commune

First time venturing into the "big ocean"

Never before have schools in Bich Hao commune had such a large number of students participating in the provincial-level excellent student competition as this year, with 15 students from 5 junior high schools in the area taking part. Furthermore, with 13 out of 15 students winning prizes (86% success rate), including 6 second prizes, 1 third prize, and 6 consolation prizes, this is an unprecedented result. At Thanh Giang Junior High School, this year all 3 students participated and all 3 won second prizes, including 1 second prize in Mathematics and 2 second prizes in Natural Science 3 (Biology).

According to Mr. Bui Van Quang, the school principal, it has been more than five years since the school had students participate in the provincial-level excellent student competition. Previously, we said that passing the district-level qualifying round was even more difficult than the provincial-level excellent student competition. This was because we had to compete with central schools or high-quality schools like Ton Quang Phiệt Secondary School. According to the new regulations, all communes can send students to the provincial-level excellent student competition, so the opportunity will be more evenly distributed among schools.

Speaking about the success of this year's exam, Mr. Tran Van Minh - Head of the Culture and Social Affairs Department of the commune - added: Bich Hao (comprising the former Thanh Tung, Mai Giang, Thanh Xuan, and Thanh Lam communes of Thanh Chuong district) is located in a low-lying area, far from the center, and compared to the general level of the old district, teaching conditions are still very difficult. Therefore, in the past, participating in the provincial-level excellent student competition was extremely difficult and rare. This year, after the transition to a two-tiered government system, all communes in the province have equal opportunities, creating conditions for schools to participate in exchanges and learn from each other.

"

Before selecting the official team, the commune chose students who had achieved the title of "Excellent Student at the District Level" in the previous school year (grade 8). After two months of preparation and screening, the commune selected 15 students in six subjects. However, teams were not formed for English and Informatics this year because the pool of candidates was not yet of sufficient quality.

Mr. Tran Van Minh - Head of the Culture and Social Affairs Department of Bich Hao Commune

Besides the schools in Bich Hao commune, before this year's exam, many junior high schools in the province also shared that this was the first time their schools had ventured into the "big leagues" with students selected to participate in the provincial-level 9th-grade excellent student competition. After the exam, the joy was multiplied when the list of winners included many students from remote and disadvantaged communes.

With one third prize in Literature and one consolation prize in Civic Education, Mr. Nguyen Van Tho - Principal of Yen Tinh Ethnic Boarding Junior High School, Yen Tinh commune, said: "In previous years, the team of outstanding students from the former Tuong Duong district mainly consisted of students from the district's boarding school, the town's junior high school, and Tam Quang junior high school. Therefore, this is the first time our school has had students participating in the provincial-level outstanding student competition, and we are very happy that they won prizes. Immediately after this competition, we will also hold meetings with the subject departments to develop a plan for the next school year, prioritizing subjects that are our strengths so that teachers, students, and parents can all strive to improve."

With over 2,000 students participating, this is the largest number of students ever in the 9th grade provincial-level excellent student competition. Initial statistics show that in its first season, over 1,400 students were recognized as winners, including 56 first prizes, over 600 second prizes, and over 300 third prizes.

According to Mr. Nguyen Tien Dung, Head of the Secondary Education Department of the Department of Education and Training, out of 130 communes and wards nationwide, only 3 units had no participating students. The number of candidates was evenly distributed across subjects; however, the number of candidates in Informatics and English was not high. The quality of the awards was assessed as quite good, with many localities achieving pass rates of 95-100%, such as Truong Vinh, Do Luong, Hong Chan, Quy Chau, Que Phong, Mon Son, and Thong Thu. Schools with low pass rates were mainly in remote and disadvantaged areas.

"

The student excellence competition has truly spread widely, contributing to improving the quality of education. On the part of the Department of Education and Training, in addition to changes in organization, we have also adjusted the way questions are formulated to help develop students' qualities and abilities. This explains why, even though the exam is the same for all students, students in remote areas still have access to it and achieve high results.

Mr. Nguyen Tien Dung - Head of Secondary Education Department - Department of Education and Training