Hai Duong students are happy to know about the third exam subject for grade 10.

Like tens of thousands of other 9th grade students in Hai Duong, Do Hai Yen, a 9th grade student at Tan An Secondary School (Thanh Ha), said that on the afternoon of January 13, after hearing the news that the Department of Education and Training announced that the third exam subject would be English, the whole class was very happy.

“Before that, we were quite worried because of the pressure of taking the first exam under the new general education program, and we didn’t know if we would take the exam in natural sciences or history and geography… If we took the natural sciences, the knowledge would be very heavy, and if we took the history and geography exams, those who were weak in social sciences would also be at a disadvantage. Knowing early about the third exam helped me and my friends relieve some of the pressure and anxiety about this exam. I and my friends will have more time to focus on English,” Yen said.

Most parents, when asked, were excited that the Department of Education and Training decided that English was the third subject, which was very reasonable because students had prepared well for this subject. With the heat of the 10th grade entrance exam being even more difficult than the university entrance exam, if the children are worried, the parents are worried and under double the pressure.

Mr. Nguyen Van Nam in Ngoc Chau ward (Hai Duong city) has a son who will take the 10th grade entrance exam this year. Mr. Nam said that when the Ministry of Education and Training announced the admission regulations, including the regulation of taking 3 subjects for 10th grade and the 3rd subject or exam will be announced before March 31, parents and students were nervous and worried.

“In the past 3 years, Hai Duong students have taken the English exam. Every student has prepared for this subject. Keeping the 10th grade entrance exam stable like previous years will not cause confusion for students, and we parents are very reassured,” said Mr. Nam.

Teacher Nguyen Van Hung, Lac Long Secondary School (Kinh Mon) said that in fact, 9th grade students this year are at a disadvantage compared to the following classes because it is the first class, throughout the rolling roadmap according to the 2018 general education program. The time to start implementing the new general education program at the secondary level was the peak of the Covid-19 epidemic. 6th grade students at that time had to study online. The curriculum has been somewhat reduced to suit the reality. In addition, in recent years, secondary schools have also focused on reviewing English for students. The movement to learn English has been promoted, diversifying the forms of learning and practicing, creating a good English foundation. Therefore, choosing English as the third subject is very suitable for this year's students.

Mr. Vu Hong Hai, Head of the Department of Education and Training of Kinh Mon town, said that announcing the third exam subject, English, about 2 months earlier than previous years, not only helps stabilize students' psychology and schools proactively review for them, but also fits the policy of gradually making English the second language in schools.

However, knowing the third exam early may lead to students taking other subjects lightly in the remaining time of the second semester. Regarding this issue, Mr. Pham Anh Tuan, Head of the Department of Education and Training of Tu Ky district shared: "The Department will thoroughly instruct schools to manage the content, duration, and quality of teachers' teaching; strengthen inspection and assessment to ensure the quality of students' learning; organize supplementary educational activities such as extracurricular activities, seminars, creative experience days, and supplement knowledge for students...".

Mr. Do Duy Hung, Deputy Director of the Department of Education and Training of Hai Duong, said that the announcement of the third exam subject for grade 10 of public high schools is in accordance with regulations after the end of the first semester and before March 31. The Department announced it earlier than previous years to effectively carry out the enrollment work according to the new regulations of the Ministry of Education and Training, promptly meeting the needs of the people in the province. In particular, the early announcement of the exam subject is to facilitate schools to be more proactive in their teaching and review plans; students to conveniently complete the program and review; relieve pressure, create a comfortable mentality for students and parents to prepare conditions for the exam to achieve good results.