Can national prize winners be admitted directly to grade 10 high school?

Specifically, a parent in Hai Duong City whose child won a gold medal at the 2024 National Youth Boxing Championship; a parent in Binh Giang District whose child won an encouragement prize at the National "Traffic Safety for Tomorrow's Smiles" Competition for high school students in the 2023-2024 school year are both thinking that their child will be admitted directly to grade 10 of high school in the 2025-2026 school year.

However, through the exchange between Hai Duong Newspaper reporters and the education sector, from the 2025-2026 school year, not everyone who wins a national prize will be admitted directly to grade 10 of high school.

Specifically, according to Circular No. 30/TT-BGDDT dated December 30, 2024 of the Ministry of Education and Training promulgating new regulations on junior high school and high school admissions effective from February 14, 2025, stipulating 5 subjects that are directly admitted to grade 10 of high school include: students of ethnic minority boarding high schools; students of ethnic minorities; students with disabilities; students who have won national prizes organized by the Ministry of Education and Training or in coordination with ministries and ministerial-level agencies organized nationwide for competitions on culture, arts, sports, scientific research and technology; students who have won prizes in international competitions decided and selected by the Minister of Education and Training.

Previously, Circular No. 05/2018/TT-BGDDT stipulated that students who won national and international prizes in culture; arts; sports; national science and technology competitions for junior high school and high school students were admitted directly to grade 10 of high school.

Accordingly, the children of the two parents above will not be admitted directly to grade 10 of high school from the 2025-2026 school year. Because the National Youth Boxing Championship is not organized or coordinated by the Ministry of Education and Training. The "Traffic Safety for Tomorrow's Smiles" Competition is organized by the Ministry of Education and Training but does not belong to the 4 fields: culture, arts, sports, scientific research, and technology.

Thus, only students who win prizes in competitions organized or jointly organized by the Ministry of Education and Training related to 4 fields: culture, arts, sports, scientific research, and technology will be directly admitted to grade 10 of high school from the 2025-2026 school year.