Expanding schools to reduce pressure on 10th grade enrollment

Regarding this issue, Nghe An Newspaper had an interview with Mr. Pham Huy Duc - former Chief of Office of the Department of Education and Training and currently working at the Association of Former Teachers of Nghe An province.

PV:Sir, up to now, most schools in the province have announced the benchmark scores and the list of admitted students to grade 10. This year, the benchmark scores in all schools have increased, some schools even increased by 5-6 points, some schools have to score more than 8 points/subject to be admitted. What do you think about the above numbers?

Mr. Pham Huy Duc:For many years now, the admission to grade 10 in Nghe An, especially in Vinh city, has always received the attention of many parents and students. However, like the university entrance exam, we should not pay too much attention to the benchmark score but should pay attention to the number of students admitted. For example, whether the benchmark score is low or high, we will still accept students until the quota is met. What we care about is the admission rate, the number of students admitted each year and the rate of admission to public schools.

Previously, to ensure harmony between public and non-public students, the Department had clear controls on students admitted to public schools. However, for non-public schools, the enrollment quota of the schools is "open", meaning that schools can enroll up to the maximum number of students in the class according to regulations.

PV:For many years now, the admission process for grade 10 has been as intense as the university entrance exam. Some people say that this is understandable because the number of students in the province is increasing day by day, but the number of public schools is not increasing. As someone who has worked in the education sector for many years and is often interested in education in the province, do you think this opinion is correct?

Mr. Pham Huy Duc:In my opinion, the current population has a tendency to increase day by day. In Vinh alone, there is also a mechanical increase when more and more people from the districts come to Vinh to work and bring their children. Therefore, in approving the plan, it is necessary to base on the annual increase in the number of students to open more classes. In addition, based on statistical data, there will be a longer plan based on the forecasted number of years, 5 years, 10 years. 2 years ago, I also wrote an article predicting that by 2030 - 2035, Nghe An will have a series of retired teachers. Therefore, if there is no solution from now, the shortage of teachers will be very serious.

In the current context, expanding schools will have difficulties because the density of high schools in Nghe An is quite high and if the schools increase, it may lead to other difficulties such as facilities, teaching staff and burden on the budget. However, we can increase the size of the school, from 1,500 students can go to 1,700 students, from 1,200 students can go to 1,400 students. That means we have to build more classrooms, recruit more teachers. We also need to calculate the student flow, how many students go to public schools, how many students go to non-public schools, how many students go to vocational training... in each school year to develop schools.

For a long time, we have been counting the number of students who do not go to grade 10, they can go to vocational school. But in reality, this number is not much. Because parents still want their children to finish high school and employers also prioritize recruiting workers who are 18 years old and have at least graduated from high school. That is the difficulty in dividing secondary school.

PV:As currently calculated, if students fail to pass the public school entrance exam, they can transfer to non-public schools. However, parents still want their children to study in public schools with many advantages in terms of education quality, tuition fees and many other priorities. That is also the reason why the race to enter public schools is really difficult. In your opinion, why has the non-public school model in Nghe An not attracted students?

Mr. Pham Huy Duc:Yes, if students fail to pass the public school entrance exam, they will have many other paths. The current tight admission process, if anything, is tight admission to public schools. This is understandable because students entering public schools have many benefits. Meanwhile, students entering non-public schools will have to spend more money.

In fact, in Nghe An, students who cannot get into public schools have to go to non-public or private schools. Therefore, the quality of these schools is not good and this has been deeply ingrained in the thinking of one generation of students to another. That is the reason why non-public and private schools have not attracted students and parents still compete every year to get their children into public schools.

PV:Back to the issue of primary school admission. There are many concerns because Vinh city is the center of the province but has only 3 public high schools. Meanwhile, districts such as Thanh Chuong, Dien Chau, Do Luong, Yen Thanh... each have 4-5 schools. That leads to the admission rate in Vinh being lower than other districts. In your opinion, in the situation that the number of students in Vinh continues to increase in the coming years, does the province need to open more schools to meet the learning needs of the city's children?

Mr. Pham Huy Duc:In the past, Vinh city had not yet expanded to communes such as Nghi Duc, Nghi Kim, Nghi Lien, Hung Chinh, etc., so it was appropriate to only have three public schools in the whole city. Moreover, Vinh’s area is also small, so students can easily go to school between schools in the city.

However, in other localities, the area is large, from the beginning to the end of the district can stretch up to dozens of kilometers, many places have to cross rivers, cross boats. Therefore, the arrangement of many high schools in a district is for the convenience of students, not for students to have to travel far.

In the context of the increasing number of students and the expanding city area, the need to open more schools or open a second facility in Vinh city is reasonable and necessary, meeting the wishes of the majority of people.

PV:In addition to non-public schools, in the past two years, Nghe An has been piloting the model of advanced classes and advanced schools. 10th grade students have another option if they fail to get into public schools. However, there are also conflicting opinions about this model. What do you personally think about this model?

Mr. Pham Huy Duc:I am interested in the high quality school model and the advanced school model. With the high quality key school model, I have concerns about the goals, the legality, and the implementation process.

In the advanced school model, I clearly see the development goals. However, I think that if it is an advanced school, the facilities and teachers must be different to be truly convincing and to be able to collect money from parents. However, currently, the implementation of the advanced school model in Nghe An is not really guaranteed. For example, at the high school level, the advanced class but the input quality is low, so it is understandable that parents are concerned.

In Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, the advanced school model and the private school model are very developed and supported by parents. To do so, schools must really invest and pay attention to the teaching staff, the training program, and the high admission rate, even higher than public schools. If Nghe An implements the advanced school model according to the set goals and is transparent in the implementation process, I think it will attract parents and students, including those with high scores.

Private and non-public schools today also need to change. To do so, schools must have good teachers, pay attention to facilities, and focus on the quality of education.

PV:Back to the issue of primary school admissions. Nowadays, not onlygrade 10but enrollment at other levels in Nghe An and Vinh city will continue to be hot in the coming years. So, what issues do we need to pay attention to in planning work, sir?

Mr. Pham Huy Duc:As I said, planning and forecasting are necessary for all levels of education, for all localities. Therefore, in the current context, wards and communes must forecast accurately to expand schools to ensure 100% of students can go to school. Particularly for preschool and high school levels, in addition to expanding the public school model, it is necessary to develop a non-public school model, associated with quality to meet the increasing needs of parents.

PV:Thank you!