Many parents worry about removing 'non-specialized' classes in specialized schools

Worried about dropping out of "non-specialized" classes

The 2024-2025 school year is also the first year that Ms. Le Thi Yen's daughter (Le Mao ward, Vinh city) is enrolled in high school. With good academic performance but "unpredictable" performance, Ms. Yen once thought that the "high-quality class" would be a lifesaver for the family, if her child did not pass the entrance exam to a public school.

That is why, when receiving this information, Ms. Yen was quite worried: High-quality classes at specialized schools are increasingly tightening their quality and admission criteria are quite strict. Therefore, I am quite confident if I let my children study here. But with this change, I think the pressure on the children will be heavier and there is nothing else but to try their best to be able to pass the entrance exam to public schools.

Students attend the 10th grade entrance exam. Photo: My Ha

At the end of February, the Ministry of Education and Training issued Circular No. 05/2023/TT-BGDDT on the regulations on the organization and operation of specialized high schools. The notable point in this Circular is that the Ministry of Education and Training officially requires that non-specialized classes not be organized in specialized high schools, effective from April 15, 2023, officially starting from the 2024-2025 school year.

In addition to eliminating non-specialized classes, the new regulations also regulate additional enrollment in specialized schools. Schools can enroll additional students for all three grades, instead of only grades 10 and 11 as in the old regulations. Students from non-specialized high schools who have achieved good academic and training results in the school year immediately preceding the year of additional enrollment can register for additional enrollment in specialized schools.

Candidates taking the 10th grade entrance exam - Vinh University High School for the Gifted. Photo: My Ha

In Vinh city, there are currently two specialized schools, Phan Boi Chau High School for the Gifted and Vinh University High School for the Gifted. In recent years, in addition to recruiting students for the specialized program, Vinh University High School for the Gifted has organized additional high-quality classes. The admission method also changes every year, from recruiting students based on academic records, recruiting students combined with the entrance exam for grade 10 specialized programs, from the 2022-2023 school year, Vinh University High School for the Gifted has organized a separate exam for candidates who want to enroll in high-quality classes.

In these classes, students must submitThe higher the tuition fee, the more the school has commitments on quality output. In recent years, according to the school's assessment, the rate of students passing the university entrance exam has reached nearly 100%, from grade 11, about 60% of students studying at the school have a foreign language certificate.

Candidates taking the entrance exam to Phan Boi Chau High School for the Gifted in the 2022-2023 school year. Photo: My Ha

Explaining why parents still want their children to studyhigh quality class, although tuition fees are much more expensive than public schools, the reasons are quite simple. Firstly, many parents believe that the biggest advantage of specialized schools is the environment and experienced teachers. Secondly, when studying at specialized schools, students rarely have to attend extra classes because they study at school all day. Thirdly, most importantly, in recent years, many universities have given priority to direct admission to specialized school students. Therefore, even if your child studies in a high-quality program, this will be the first favorable step for your child to be able to apply for university admission.

Ms. Tran Thi Minh, whose child studied in the high-quality class, said: My child studied in the first course and the quality of the class was quite even, thanks to the good admission. After graduating from high school, with excellent academic results, he easily registered and was admitted to 3 universities.

“Tighten” input quality

Regarding the new regulations according to Circular No. 05/2023 of the Ministry of Education and Training, there are currently many different opinions. In Vinh city, where enrollment in grade 10 is always "hot", this change will make it more difficult for many students to enroll in the first grade.

Previously, Vinh city was considered a special locality because it had the largest number of students in the province, but the number of public schools in the city was 2-3 schools less than other localities. Every year, the rate of students in Vinh city passing the public school entrance exam was only about 70%.

The pressure of the entrance exam always weighs heavily on 9th grade students in Vinh city. Photo: My Ha

With the above difficulties, before the changes of the Ministry of Education and Training, many teachers said that instead of eliminating non-specialized groups, we should tighten input quality.

Regarding this issue, teacher Ho Thi Thanh An - Principal of Cua Nam Secondary School (Vinh City) said: I think that the high-quality class model is suitable for the actual needs of Vinh City and there are some parents who, even though their children have passed the entrance exam to public schools, still register their children for the high-quality system for many different reasons. Therefore, if maintaining the high-quality system, specialized schools need to pay attention to input quality, tighten the training process and control the quality of education well.

The competition rate for public schools in Vinh city is the highest in the province. Photo: My Ha

Sharing the same opinion, teacher Nguyen Minh Khoa - Principal of Trung Do Secondary School (Vinh City) said: I still hope that no matter what form, the interests of students will still be put first. With the high-quality school model, there are still many advantages such as staff and student output. The important thing is that high quality must be of real quality, not indiscriminate enrollment, chasing after quantity.

On the other hand, Ms. Bui Thi Thu Ha - Principal of Hung Hoa Secondary School (Vinh City) said: The Ministry has its own reasons for not implementing non-specialized classes in specialized schools. This may cause more difficulties for students in schools before the first-grade admission season. However, if students are well differentiated in secondary school, they will know their abilities and from there will choose suitable schools to apply to.

In my opinion, whether it is a public school, a non-public school or a vocational school, each school will have its own target students and we need to be harmonized in all types of training. We should not open high-quality classes in specialized schools if the students' abilities are not guaranteed.

Teacher Nguyen Thi Phuc - Principal of Nghi Hoa Primary School (Cua Lo town) also added: My personal opinion is that if it is a specialized school, the quality of the specialized school is very good. Therefore, if non-specialized classes are eliminated, the schools will focus on human resources and other conditions to train specialized students.

Currently, according to the plan, from the 2024-2025 school year, the new plan will be officially implemented. In the immediate future, regarding the enrollment plan for the next school year, it is expected that there will not be many changes in enrollment in specialized schools in Nghe An and parents and students will have a year to prepare if non-specialized classes will no longer be opened at specialized schools./.