Nghe An is ready for the 10th grade entrance exam

Retaining students

Up to this point, the class of teacher Bui May A - Nga My Ethnic Boarding Secondary School (Tuong Duong district) is still teaching normally. Taking advantage of the little remaining time, many lessons last until the end of the afternoon, both teachers and students are diligently reviewing old knowledge.

Students of Que Phong Ethnic Boarding Secondary School gather to review for exams at the dormitory. Photo: Dinh Tuyen

Teacher Bui May A is a teacher with many years of teaching Math for grade 9 - the final grade and directly reviewing for grade 10 students, so he has a lot of experience. In the last days of the school year, besides the joy that this year the school has up to 14 students registering for the entrance exam to the provincial boarding school, he still has his own worries because Nga My students are still low compared to the general level of the district and the whole province. Therefore, although the school year has ended and most students are on summer vacation, because many students taking the entrance exam to the boarding school and some students taking the entrance exam to public schools want to continue tutoring, he volunteered to teach them extra.

The competition rate for admission to the provincial boarding schools for ethnic minorities is quite high and requires students to study well in all three subjects: Math, Literature and Foreign Language. This year, I am quite happy with the Math subject because through the mock exams, the students have made a lot of progress, some of them scored over 8 points. However, I still tell them not to be subjective, to spend time practicing more questions, and to get familiar with the types of questions because this is a quite difficult exam.

Teacher Bui May A - Nga My Secondary Boarding School for Ethnic Minorities (Tuong Duong district)

Speaking more about this, Mr. Nguyen Viet Thong - Vice Principal of the school said: Our school has 93 grade 9 students but only 62 students registered for the 10th grade entrance exam, including 2 students who are directly admitted (O Du students) and 14 students registered for the provincial boarding school. Although the number of students registering for the 10th grade entrance exam is quite large, the situation of students dropping out of the exam is still quite common, like previous years, some years up to 15 - 20 students. Therefore, before the transition exams, in addition to organizing review sessions for students, keeping them at school until the exam date, one of the important tasks of the school is to find solutions to motivate students to participate fully in the exam.

Currently, all teachers remain at school. During the exam days, the school board, including the principal and two vice principals, will take turns to be on duty at three locations where students from the school will take the exam, including Tuong Duong High School 1 and 2 and two boarding schools in the province. Teachers will also assign 3-4 people to each location to support candidates during the exam. The homeroom teacher will call the students 3 times before the exam to remind them not to forget the exam schedule, and pay more attention to those who live with grandparents or parents who work far away.

Nguyen Xuan On High School (Dien Chau) prepares documents for candidates taking the 10th grade entrance exam. Photo: My Ha

The above work is also being done by many schools in mountainous districts before each 10th grade entrance exam. Because the distance from students' homes to the main exam site can be up to 50-60km, students are reluctant to travel. Meanwhile, many parents of students in mountainous areas do not want to continue to 10th grade but let their children work to earn income. The situation of skipping exams is quite common.

We provide maximum support during the process of students taking the 10th grade entrance exam, teachers are even willing to be motorbike taxi drivers to take students to each exam location, and take care of their meals. If any student is slow or intends to skip the exam, we will assign teachers to come to their home to remind, encourage, and motivate them to take the exam.

Teacher Dinh Thi Thu Ha - Principal of Chau Cam Secondary School (Con Cuong)

Maximum support for candidates

The 2023 grade 10 entrance exam will be held on June 5, 2023 at 72 exam sites across the province. This is the exam with the largest number of candidates ever, with nearly 39,000 candidates taking the exam in 1,639 exam rooms. The exam sites are located at high schools, with an average of one exam site per school. Ha Huy Tap High School, Huynh Thuc Khang High School, and the provincial Ethnic Boarding High School each have two exam sites. The entire education sector has mobilized over 5,500 people to do personnel work, of which over 3,800 are exam invigilators.

The Provincial Boarding High School for Ethnic Minorities is a special testing location because all candidates come from mountainous districts, so nearly 2 weeks before the exam, the school conducted a survey on the accommodation needs of candidates and their parents. Based on that, the school contacted hotels near the school with preferential prices to introduce to parents in need. For students and parents with financial difficulties, the school organizes free meals and accommodation at the school.

This year, our school has 545 candidates registered for the exam, a large number compared to previous years. At present, all parents who need to stay in the school dormitory have been properly arranged. The school has also mobilized more than 20 volunteers to support candidates during the exam. During the exam days, due to the hot weather, the school has also rented some additional rooms near the school so that parents can rest temporarily while waiting for their children to take the exam.

Mr. Tran Dinh Huy - Secretary of the Youth Union of the Provincial Boarding High School for Ethnic Minorities

Exam cards and documents for candidates have been fully prepared by the exam sites. Photo: My Ha

At Nguyen Xuan On High School (Dien Chau), about 2 weeks before the exam, the preparation for the exam was basically completed, such as printing and sending all the exam notices to the candidates, organizing cleaning, and checking the facilities to fix any damage. In addition, reviewing the teaching staff to prepare enough invigilators and doing other related work.Entrance exam for grade 10.

Although the 10th grade entrance exam is an annual activity, we still thoroughly instruct teachers in the school to strictly implement the exam regulations to ensure seriousness and safety. At the same time, we develop plans to provide maximum support to candidates during the exam process to help them feel secure and confident in taking the test.

Teacher Nguyen Thi Ha - Principal of Nguyen Xuan On High School (Dien Chau)

Since April, Nghe An Provincial Youth Union has also implemented the program "Supporting exam season" since April and focusing on June with many outstanding activities such as supporting and guiding candidates during the exam process.

In addition, the grassroots youth union and Nghe An Provincial Youth Union have also deployed information channels to receive candidates' support needs and develop appropriate support plans, giving priority to students in difficult circumstances in remote, isolated, border areas, orphaned students, disabled students, poor students overcoming difficulties, poor households, near-poor households, etc. The units have also actively sought support resources for the program, sought scholarships for candidates in difficult circumstances, organized the "Exam Season Willpower" program; and provided study tools for candidates.

Although the exam date is near, many schools still organize practice tests for students preparing for the 10th grade entrance exam. Photo: My Ha

Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Youth Union Tran Linh said: Currently, all grassroots unions have detailed plans to support candidates in the 2023 exam season with many practical activities that meet actual needs. Through the "Supporting the Exam Season" activity, an environment will be created for young people, students, teachers, and lecturers to practice and promote the spirit of volunteerism, mutual love, responsibility to the community and contribute to the success of the 10th grade entrance exam./.