Vietnam to Provide Extra Tutoring for Low-Scoring Students Admitted to Specialized High Schools

In Dak Lak province, in Vietnam's Central Highlands, a controversy has arisen over students admitted to specialized high schools despite scoring as low as 2-3 points in some subjects. In response, the provincial Department of Education and Training has announced a plan to provide special tutoring for these students to meet academic requirements after enrollment. Mr. Pham Huy Van, Deputy Director of the Provincial Department of Education and Training, explained on July 28 that the admission of some students with very low scores in specialized subjects to Nguyen Du Specialized High School and Luong Van Chanh Specialized High School was not an error but due to the specific recruitment characteristics of each subject. Indeed, at Nguyen Du Specialized High School, the cutoff score for the Chemistry class was 38.25 out of 50 (with Math, Literature, English, and the specialized subject counted twice), while the French class had the lowest score at 19.9. This was because only 21 out of 35 students admitted were first choices, requiring the school to admit an additional 14 second-choice candidates. Consequently, some students who scored only 2.2 to 3 points in their specialized subjects were admitted. Similarly, at Luong Van Chanh Specialized High School, while the English class required 33.7 points, the History class had a cutoff of only 15 out of 50, Geography 18.75, and Informatics 19.65. According to Mr. Van, the phenomenon of low scores in specialized subjects appears particularly in newly opened subjects or those with fewer applicants. Luong Van Chanh Specialized High School, which recruited for History and Geography classes for the first time this year, had limited applicant pools. The French class at Nguyen Du Specialized High School has also seen few students over the years. Maintaining these classes is not only to ensure enrollment quotas but also to promote the learning movement in the locality, he explained. "We cannot evaluate the overall quality of specialized high school admissions by looking only at a few cases of low scores," said Mr. Van, adding that after enrollment, each school will assess the capabilities of individual students to develop tutoring plans to help them meet academic demands. This year, Dak Lak province organized entrance exams for 10th grade in five specialized high schools (including specialized high schools and ethnic boarding schools), with the rest selected based on academic records. The admission scores for the aforementioned specialized classes are among the lowest nationwide this year. Source: VnExpress