HÀ NỘI — High schools in Hà Nội are expected to enroll 85,800 students in the 10th grade this school year, an increase of 19,500 students compared to the previous year.

According to Phạm Văn Đại, deputy director of the city’s Education and Training Department, some 62 per cent of the enrolled students will study in public high schools, while others will attend private schools, vocational schools and other educational facilities, which are often considered “unofficial” and low-quality by Vietnamese parents.

The number of class 10 students in this year’s academic session has seen a sharp increase as they were born in 2003---the year of the Golden Goat according to Chinese zodiac and considered a lucky year to have children.

Đại said there are 40-45 students in a class on an average, so the education department has planned to add 327 classes this school year.

“The department has asked schools to make use of all available classrooms and facilities to ensure a proper teaching-learning environment despite an increased number of students,” he said.

Meanwhile, students and parents in Hà Nội are worried about the high school entrance exam because of the surge in the number of competitors this year. The pressure is immense as 100,000 students are expected to take the exam, up by 24,000 last year. Public high schools in Hà Nội, however, can only accommodate some 60 per cent of them.

The annual high school entrance exam in Việt Nam consists of one standardised mathematics and one literature test. Each student can apply to two public high schools. They can choose either of them---one requiring a high passing score and the other requiring a much lower passing score.

Apart from the 108 public high schools, Hà Nội has a few other specialised magnet schools that plan their own exams. — VNS