Student streaming after lower secondary school: Still an open question.

(Baonghean)To enhance early student streaming in a way that aligns with socio-economic conditions and workforce needs, the education sector has set a target of attracting 30% of lower secondary school graduates to vocational and professional training by 2020. However, this goal is currently facing obstacles. In reality, the majority of students continue on to upper secondary school or supplementary upper secondary education. This indicates that student streaming after lower secondary school remains neglected.

In the 2011-2012 school year, Nguyen Thi Minh Khai Junior High School (Hung Nguyen) had 97% of its students graduating, 62% of them passing the entrance exams to high schools, and the remaining 38% either retook the exams or went south to find work; none of them pursued vocational training. Regarding the student placement process at the junior high school level, Mr. Dang Cong Than, the school principal, said: “Most students aspire to continue their education at high school; few are willing to pursue vocational training. The school has established a career guidance committee, focusing on disseminating information and providing direction; we have invited parents and students who are unlikely to pass the high school entrance exams to discuss the matter, but it hasn't made much of a difference.”

In Vinh City, encouraging students to pursue vocational training after lower secondary school is even more difficult. According to Mr. Ninh Viet Nam, Principal of Hung Dung Lower Secondary School, the process of directing students after lower secondary school in the city is almost at a standstill. Due to the urban characteristics, families have better economic conditions and all want their children to graduate from lower secondary school and then attend upper secondary school and college or university. Furthermore, the city has many public and private upper secondary schools, which have "attracted" all the students graduating from lower secondary school. Faced with this difficulty, the school has been struggling to find solutions.

Around March each year, after the first semester's preliminary results are released, the school invites students and parents of 9th-grade students with weak academic performance to discuss and guide them towards vocational training. They explain to the students that, given their abilities, they cannot pass the entrance exam to high schools, while within the same three-year vocational program, they can obtain both a high school diploma and a vocational certificate. In April, the school collaborates with several vocational schools and businesses in the city to provide career counseling and guidance, helping students access preferential policies for vocational training and job opportunities after graduating from vocational secondary school. Through this approach, in the 2011-2012 school year, five students voluntarily chose not to take the 10th-grade entrance exam and instead enrolled in vocational training. It is projected that the number of students registering for vocational training will increase by a few more students this year compared to last year.

In 2010, the Director of the Nghe An Department of Education and Training issued Official Document No. 670/SGDĐT-GDCN on career guidance and student streaming after lower and upper secondary education. This document clearly outlined the tasks of colleges and vocational schools: to urgently develop curricula and finalize textbooks for vocational training programs targeting students graduating from lower secondary school; and to strengthen infrastructure, technical equipment, and the teaching staff and management personnel to meet the learning needs of lower secondary school graduates entering vocational training.

For the Departments of Education and Training, a steering committee for career guidance and student streaming after lower secondary school should be established; and the principals of lower secondary schools should be tasked with disseminating information to parents and graduating lower secondary school students about career guidance and streaming after lower secondary school. However, to date, the streaming of students after lower secondary school has not achieved the desired results. During the enrollment season, high schools face immense pressure, while vocational schools, despite having enrollment quotas, lack applicants.

Nguyen Thi Minh Khai Secondary School (Hung Nguyen) during class time.

According to statistics from the Nghe An Department of Education and Training, the average annual enrollment rate for 10th grade in high schools in the province is around 75% of the number of students graduating from junior high school. In the 2012-2013 school year alone, 34,462 students were admitted to 10th grade in high schools, accounting for 74.75% of the students graduating from junior high school in the 2011-2012 school year. The remaining students attending vocational schools are few and far between. Currently, Nghe An has 5 vocational colleges, but across all courses, only 157 junior high school graduates are enrolled. According to Mr. Nguyen Manh Ha, Head of the Vocational Education Department of the Nghe An Department of Education and Training: “If these students (junior high school graduates who do not attend high school) are not trained in vocational skills and go straight into the labor market, it is not only a waste of human capital but could also create an additional burden on society.”

The biggest obstacle currently facing vocational guidance and career orientation for students is the unresolved reluctance of parents to enroll their children in vocational training. Furthermore, vocational schools are training students based on current trends rather than focusing on the skills needed by society, resulting in many graduates being unable to find employment. Many employers still prioritize academic degrees, with very few hiring graduates from vocational secondary schools. Many high schools also lack attention to career guidance education and fail to coordinate with relevant social forces to promote this work.

In my opinion, to effectively guide students after lower secondary school (and also after upper secondary school), the competent authorities from the central to local levels need to issue a system of documents to unify the direction of this work; the general education, professional education, and vocational training systems must have common guidance to clearly define tasks, create close cooperation, and work together to implement student guidance. Specifically for vocational colleges, there must be regulations to ensure that vocational training institutions and employers participate in career guidance for students...

Thanh Phuc