The class has only 1 student registered for university admission.

Hoang Quoc Khang is a special and unique case among 37 students in class 12 A5 - Cua Lo 2 High School who applied for university admission even though he admitted that his academic performance was only average. To realize this dream, Khang is currently the most diligent student in the class and is anxious as the National High School Exam is very close.

The remaining students of class 12 A5 - Cua Lo 2 High School, although still focusing on reviewing for the exam, are calmer and more confident because their main destination is to study abroad.

Hoang Quoc Khang is the only student in class 12A5 who registered for university admission. Photo: My Ha.

By this time, at least 2/3 of the students in the class have gone to language classes or have basically completed the procedures to go to Japan or Korea to study abroad in the summer.

In class, on the plan board, along with the review schedule, the teacher also added a reminder for students to complete the application to go "export labor to Japan". Talking with Vu Hong Minh, he said: My family has quite a few people working in Korea, so after finishing school, I will also complete the application to study abroad. I don't know if I will work there yet, but for now, I will try to learn Korean fluently, so that when I return to Vietnam, I can apply to work at Korean companies.

Besides class 12 A5, class 12 A6 also has only one student registered for university admission. Previously, studying abroad and working abroad after graduation was usually only for students with average and good academic performance, but now the school's excellent students are also excited about this choice. As for Le Thi Huyen (student of class 12 A1), in three years of study, she has continuously achieved excellent results in all aspects. In particular, in Foreign Language and Math, her average score is above 9 points. However, instead of taking the university entrance exam, Huyen has finished studying the language and completed the application to enroll in Yeungnam University - Korea in September. When asked about the reason, Huyen said: If I take the university entrance exam in the country, I think I will have many opportunities. But I want to study abroad to both improve my foreign language and easily find a job after graduation.

A bulletin board in a classroom where the majority of students are studying abroad. Photo: My Ha

The relaxed atmosphere in classrooms where 99% of students did not apply for university admission this year. Photo: My Ha

Talking to teacher Nguyen Hong Hai - Principal of Cua Lo 2 High School, he said: Last year, through a survey, the school had about 70 students (accounting for 1/3 of grade 12 students) studying abroad or working abroad in Korea and Japan. This year, this number may increase because the whole school has 214 students but only 46 students registered for university admission (accounting for 79%). This reality leads to many classes having very low registration rates such as class A5, A6 has only 1 student, class A3 has 4 students and class A4 has 5 students. Class 12 A1, considered a selective class, also only has 13 students registered for admission.

In the whole province, this rate is not rare, there are even schools where the rate of students not registering for university entrance exam is up to 90 - 100% such as Mai Hac De High School (100%), Nguyen Van To High School (96.49%), Nguyen Thuc Tu High School (96.43%). Particularly for students at Continuing Education Centers, almost 100% of students only register for the exam to graduate.

Despite her excellent academic record, Le Thi Huyen, a 12th grader at Cua Lo High School, chose to study abroad in Korea instead of attending a university in Vietnam. Photo: My Ha.

The low rate of students registering for university entrance exams also occurs in schools with a tradition of teaching and learning. In addition to Cua Lo 2 High School, there are also Cat Ngan High School (72.73%), Hoang Mai 2 High School (69.49%), Yen Thanh 3 High School (67.43%), Nam Yen Thanh High School (61.80%), Nghi Loc 5 High School (61.46%)...

Through research, the main reason why students are not enthusiastic about universities is mainly due to the concern about the difficulty of finding a job after graduation. However, choosing to study abroad today also has many potential risks, especially for students who think of studying abroad to "study and work at the same time".

Currently, many study abroad companies are also advertising studying abroad in this form. Meanwhile, in reality, the opportunities for international students to find jobs while studying are not many. Or if there are, they are only part-time, hard jobs. In many cases, because of the mentality of going to work, after studying abroad, they run away to work outside, creating a bad impression from you to Vietnamese international students, especially in the Korean and Japanese markets.

Billboards of study abroad companies are hung in many high schools. Photo: My Ha

In January 2017, the Japanese Embassy delegation visited Nghe An. At the meeting, Ms. Tanaka Mizuko - Second Secretary in charge of education of the Embassy raised the current situation of Vietnamese students staying illegally and violating the law in Japan, including students from Nghe An.

The delegation also requested that the province should guide and direct study abroad companies in the province to provide accurate information and not falsely advertise the "study and work" study abroad program, causing students to use the study abroad program for the purpose of working to earn money.