Ninth-grade students at Huỳnh Khương Ninh secondary school in HCM City’s District 1. VNA/VNS Photo Thu Hoài

HCM CITY — More than 96,000 students will attend the 10th-grade entrance exam for public high schools in HCM City, but enrollment quotas of 114 public high schools in the city total only 77,294, according to the city’s Department of Education and Training.

Around 19,000 students unable to get admission to public high schools will have to enroll in private high schools, vocational education centres or centres for continuing education.

More than 109,000 ninth-grade students would graduate secondary schools this year, said Lê Hoài Nam, deputy director of the department.

More than 96,000 students registered to take the 10th-grade entrance exam for public schools and the remaining 13,000 students opted to not take the exam and seek admission to centres for continuing education, vocational training schools or study abroad, Nam said.

Only 70 per cent of graduates from secondary schools would attend public high schools in the 2023-2024 school year, he said.

The entrance exam for public schools is slated to take place from June 6-7.

Private high schools, vocational education schools and centres for continuing education will offer a total of 51,000 seats for 10th-grade students in the 2023-2024 school year.

The Ngô Thời Nhiệm high school in Thủ Đức City announced the highest enrollment quota among private high schools in the city with 1,310 seats.

Tưởng Nguyên Sự, principal of the school, said it received admission of students nationwide without taking 10th-grade entrance exam.

However, rising tuition fees at private high schools are the major concern for students who fail to enter public high schools, which offer affordable tuition fees.

Most private high schools announced an increase of VNĐ600,000-1 million (US$25-42) in monthly tuition fees.

Private high schools will receive online applications from July 3 to August 25. —VNS