Ho Chi Minh City officially proposes to choose foreign language as the third subject for 10th grade exams

Choose a foreign language as the third exam subject so that students are not "shocked"

The Ho Chi Minh City Department of Education and Training has officially sent its second comments on a number of proposed changes and additions to the junior high school and high school admission regulations of the Ministry of Education and Training.

Specifically, in Clause 1, Article 12, Chapter III on the organization of the entrance exam for grade 10 high school, the Draft stipulates that the third exam subject is selected by the Department of Education and Training and higher education institutions from among the subjects assessed by scores in the General Education Program for lower secondary school. The selection of the third exam subject has changed over the years to achieve the goal of comprehensive education in the basic education stage and is announced before March 31 every year.

The Ho Chi Minh City Department of Education and Training believes that the decision to include a third subject in the 10th grade exam must ensure that it does not affect psychological issues, the review process, and the choice of subjects at the high school level; based on the 2018 general education program, high school has 6 compulsory subjects including literature, math, foreign language, physical education, national defense and security education, and history, in which foreign language is compulsory for students to study throughout grade 3 to grade 12.

The remaining subjects include natural sciences (physics, chemistry, biology), history, geography, technology and information technology. When entering high school, students may not choose to study them during the 3 years of study, due to their career orientation. Therefore, randomly choosing subjects other than math and literature leads to students having to take exams in subjects that are not in their orientation, thereby causing psychological "shock" and stress before the exam for them.

According to the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Education and Training, choosing a foreign language as the third subject ensures psychological stability and is consistent with the career orientation goals of all students due to the consistent characteristics of the 2018 General Education Program. At the same time, choosing a foreign language meets the goals set by the Politburo in Conclusion 91-KL/TW on gradually making English the second language in schools and aiming for learners to become global citizens in the future.

Proposal to delegate initiative in 10th grade exam

The Department of Education and Training also suggested that each locality should be allowed to decide when to announce benchmark scores based on local enrollment characteristics, ensuring candidates' rights and in accordance with the Ministry's school opening schedule.

“This is aimed at helping localities proactively adjust their enrollment plans to suit the actual conditions and needs of the region. Avoid the situation where a candidate is admitted to many schools and many types at the same time, causing an imbalance in enrollment targets of the schools. Create conditions for high schools to proactively prepare facilities and personnel appropriate to the actual number of students. Ensure fairness in enrollment and optimize the allocation of students according to their wishes and abilities,” the department stated.

From there, the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Education and Training also proposed that it is necessary to issue a unified national junior high school and high school admission regulation. This regulation will be the basis for the Departments of Education and Training to develop admission regulations suitable for their localities. This will help junior high school and high school admission to be increasingly public, transparent and meet the requirements of society; especially in the 2025-2026 school year, the first year of organizing the 10th grade entrance exam according to the 2018 general education program.