Consider foreign language as an optional subject for 2014 graduation exam

Commenting on the draft to change the high school graduation exam, education leaders in many localities said that foreign languages ​​should be made an optional subject instead of just adding bonus points.

The issue was raised at the conference to disseminate Resolution 29 of the Party Central Committee on fundamental and comprehensive innovation in education and training; deploy tasks for the second semester of the 2013-2013 school year; deploy the 2014 high school graduation exam and 2014 university and college admissions organized by the Ministry of Education and Training on the morning of February 13.

Photo by Van Chung

The Ministry of Education and Training said that the draft of the high school graduation exam with 4 subjects (2 compulsory subjects, 2 elective subjects) received the majority of approval. Of the 45 Departments of Education and Training that were consulted, 42 Departments of Education and Training agreed to organize the exam with 4 subjects, while 2 Departments of Education and Training said that the exam should still consist of 6 subjects.

The latest draft of the Ministry of Education and Training proposes that the graduation exam will include compulsory Literature and Mathematics, and two optional subjects from Physics, Chemistry, Biology, History, and Geography.

The most mentioned and discussed draft of the high school graduation exam reform was just announced by the Ministry of Education and Training in early January 2014.

Speaking at the conference, Deputy Minister of Education and Training Nguyen Vinh Hien said that the draft received many opinions in agreement on organizing 4 exams, including compulsory Math and Literature, students can choose 2 other subjects from Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Geography, History. In addition, students can register for a foreign language exam to receive bonus points. The Ministry also plans to exempt 20% of students who meet the standards from taking the high school graduation exam...). Currently, the Ministry is still in the process of widely soliciting opinions from the whole society.

Previously, the Ministry of Education and Training also sought opinions from 45 directors of the Department of Education and Training at a conference to review 3 years of implementing the Specialized High School Project. 42 opinions agreed with the policy of testing 4 subjects, only 2 opinions proposed testing 6 subjects as currently.

According to Deputy Minister Hien, all 45 directors agreed to immediately implement the plan to innovate the high school graduation exam from 2014.

Regarding the foreign language exam, Deputy Minister Hien said that the vast majority of opinions agreed not to make foreign language a compulsory exam subject, and many opinions suggested making it an optional exam subject.

However, the Ministry of Education and Training believes that currently, foreign language teaching and learning is very different between regions, so the ministry has drafted this as an incentive subject. Through various channels, many proposals have been made to make foreign languages ​​an optional subject.

"Therefore, the ministry will consider and discuss this issue in a serious and open-minded manner," said Deputy Minister Nguyen Vinh Hien.

Besides the consensus, according to Deputy Minister Nguyen Vinh Hien, there are still some issues that cause concern. Among them, regarding the policy of exempting 20% ​​of the national exam, many opinions say that it is not appropriate because the quality of education is different between regions, and that 20% of the exam should not be exempted equally for all localities. Instead, all students who meet the standards should be exempted from the exam.

Regarding this, the Ministry of Education and Training believes that, in the current situation where the disease of achievement has not been completely controlled, if the exemption rate is not controlled, it may lead to insubstantial exemptions. On the other hand, controlling the exemption rate will create healthy competition between schools and localities, making the exemption approval process more accurate. In the future, when the Ministry implements the PISA assessment method to evaluate the quality of education between provinces/cities, based on the PISA results, the Ministry will differentiate the graduation exam exemption rate for localities.

At the conference, the majority of opinions expressed supported the 4-subject exam.

According to vnn.vn