Vietnam: Low Entrance Scores at Specialized High School Spark Concerns Over Educational Disparities

A specialized high school in Vietnam's central Dak Lak province has recorded some of the lowest entrance exam passing scores nationwide for certain specialized classes, sparking concerns about educational inequality. The Dak Lak Provincial Department of Education and Training plans to review the situation. Luong Van Chanh Specialized High School (THPT chuyên Lương Văn Chánh) announced its 10th-grade entrance exam scores in late June, with several specialized classes having remarkably low cut-off points. The History specialized class had a cut-off score of 15 out of 40 (total points for Math, Literature, English, and the specialized subject with a coefficient of 2), averaging about 3 points per subject. The Geography specialized class had a cut-off of 18.75 points (approximately 3.75 points per subject), and the Informatics specialized class had a cut-off of 19.65 points (approximately 3.95 points per subject). These scores are among the lowest for specialized high schools across the country this year. Huynh Tan Chau, Principal of Luong Van Chanh Specialized High School, explained that the low scores in the History and Geography classes are partly due to the fact that these were newly established specialized classes this year, resulting in fewer applicants. The school aims to enroll 350 students this year, with 70 for the Math class and 35 for each of the other specialized classes. Cut-off scores for other specialized classes ranged from 26 to 33.7 out of 50. According to Pham Huy Van, Deputy Director of the Dak Lak Provincial Department of Education and Training, the province's regulations do not set a minimum score for specialized subjects; instead, students are admitted based on total scores from highest to lowest until enrollment targets are met. He stated that the low passing scores are not unusual but confirmed the department would conduct a review. Similar low scores were observed at Nguyen Du Specialized High School, where the French language class had a cut-off of 19.9 out of 40 (approximately 3.98 points per subject). In contrast, some regular high schools that selected students based on academic transcripts saw students with near-perfect scores (49 out of 50) being rejected, prompting the Department of Education and Training to increase enrollment quotas for certain schools.