Volunteering to manage student pathways reduces pressure on students during the entrance exams for primary and secondary schools.

Properly categorizing target groups

Nguyen Khac Hoang, a student in class 9A2 at Nghi Kim Secondary School, is one of the students who will not be taking the entrance exam for 10th grade this year. Hoang feels his academic abilities are limited, with low scores on mock exams and overall grades. Therefore, instead of participating in the 10th grade entrance exam, he may register for vocational training: He enjoys cooking, so he might choose food processing. He hopes that this will make it easier to find a job and earn an income sooner.

At Nghi Kim Secondary School, Hoang is not the only student who chose not to take the 10th grade entrance exam. This year, the school has 164 9th-grade students. At the end of the school year, 4 students did not meet the graduation requirements. The remaining students include 124 who registered to take the 10th-grade entrance exam, 29 who applied for direct admission to private schools, and 7 who voluntarily registered for vocational training. The school's student placement rate is 22%.

My class isn't a selective class at the school, so the students' abilities are limited. Based on the results of surveys and practical tests, only about 50% of the students in the class scored 7 points or higher in each subject and have the potential to pass the entrance exams for public schools. Therefore, for the remaining students, we have to provide guidance to parents beforehand so they can understand their child's abilities and find other suitable options.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Phuong Anh - homeroom teacher of class 9A3 - Nghi Kim Secondary School - Vinh City

Based on my experience as a homeroom teacher and in career guidance,traffic flowAccording to teacher Phuong Anh, "this is a very difficult job" because "the general mindset of parents is that they want their children to take the entrance exam for 10th grade. Only if they fail will they consider other options. Secondly, many parents haven't researched information about the schools. Thirdly, the students themselves don't know which school is suitable."

To reassure parents, starting at the beginning of the second semester, Ms. Phuong Anh usually meets privately with students who are at risk of not getting into public schools. She also talks with parents to encourage the students to study hard and requests their cooperation with the teacher in motivating their children to study at home. At the end of the year, the homeroom teacher provides parents with admission information for public and private high schools. In addition, the school also introduces admission information for vocational schools. Based on the student's actual abilities, parents will receive further guidance to make the right choice.

At Quynh Vinh Secondary School (Hoang Mai town), the percentage of students choosing different vocational paths also reaches over 30%. Nguyen Dinh Thang, a student in class 9E, said: "I scored 10.5 points on the recent mock exam, but I'm not confident in myself. My parents have been trying to get me extra tutoring hoping I'll pass the entrance exam for 10th grade, but I probably won't because I don't like going to school. I want to learn welding and will register at a vocational school in Quynh Luu district so I can study closer to home."

Hoang Mai town has a relatively high rate of student placement, averaging 27%. Mr. Cao Tien Thanh, Deputy Head of the Education and Training Department of the town, added: "The student placement process in the area is effective because people are aware of and understand the placement process and participate voluntarily. From the department's perspective, the implementation is done without coercion or pressure on parents and students."

Reduce pressure on students.

Although the 10th grade entrance exam hasn't taken place yet, many students can already breathe a sigh of relief because they've found a suitable school for themselves.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Hoa, a parent of a student at Vinh Tan Secondary School in Vinh City, said: "I was a little disappointed when the teacher said that my child was unlikely to pass the 10th grade entrance exam, but I wasn't too surprised by the result. Because, based on my child's four years of secondary school, I've seen that their abilities are still quite limited compared to their peers. Therefore, instead of constantly pushing my child to take the 10th grade entrance exam, which is beyond their capabilities, I enrolled them in a private school in Vinh City."

At Hermann Gmeiner High School, in the first round of direct admissions for students with good academic performance in grades 8 and 9, the school planned to only accept 150 students. However, in reality, the number of applications reached 250.

Ms. Tran Thi Thu Hien, the school principal, said: "Many students decide to enroll directly in our school because they realize it will be difficult to compete in the entrance exam."10th gradeIt is a public school. The school also has a scholarship policy to attract students who have achieved excellent academic results at the city, district, or town level and above, in order to improve the quality of its student intake.

Previously, in the previous academic year, the entrance exam score for this school was 19 points, equivalent to the admission score for the advanced programs in public schools. Therefore, by choosing to submit their application early as their first choice, students avoid competing with hundreds of other students applying for their second and third choices. They also avoid participating in the 10th grade entrance exam, reducing the pressure of studying.

Besides public schools, vocational schools are also entering their enrollment season at this time, offering many preferential policies. At the Nghe An College of Economics, Industry, and Handicrafts, the school has already received more than 300 applications from 9th-grade students under the streaming program.

According to the school's announcement, students who graduate from lower secondary school and continue their studies at the intermediate level will be exempt from tuition fees. Students from ethnic minority groups, poor or near-poor households, and those with disabilities will receive a policy scholarship equivalent to 100% of the basic salary, or 1,800,000 VND per month.

Other eligible groups include students graduating from ethnic minority boarding schools, Kinh ethnic minority students with disabilities, and Kinh ethnic minority students from poor or near-poor households with permanent residence in particularly difficult socio-economic areas, border ethnic minority areas, and islands. They receive support ranging from 1,080,000 to 1,440,000 VND per month, equivalent to 60% or 80% of the basic salary. During their studies, students also receive financial support for personal supplies and transportation expenses.

Currently, statistics across the province show that out of more than 47,000 students registering for 10th grade this year, over 3,000 have registered for private schools or vocational training centers/continuing education centers. In addition, approximately 6,000 students are not registering for general education and are expected to attend vocational schools or pursue other jobs.

This is a positive sign, and to maximize the effectiveness of streaming, it is necessary to continue guiding students in choosing schools and careers, helping them make choices that suit their abilities, interests, and are closely aligned with the future labor market.