A classroom at Hoàng Liệt Secondary School in Hà Nội's Đống Đa District is disinfected as the school will be used as an exam site for the high school graduation exam. — VNA/VNS Photo Thanh Tùng

HÀ NỘI — The national high school graduation exam will take place as scheduled on August 8 to 10 across Việt Nam, except in regions with ongoing outbreaks and strict social distancing measures have been applied.

The Ministry of Education and Training gave the go-ahead for the exam on Tuesday, implementing Prime Minister Nguyễn Xuân Phúc’s direction during the monthly Government cabinet meeting a day earlier.

Accordingly, localities which are placed under lockdown measures due to COVID-19 outbreaks such as the hot spots of Đà Nẵng City or Quảng Nam Province in central Việt Nam would postpone the high school exam. The two localities would recommend suitable dates for the exam when the outbreak is under control, ensuring safety for students and teachers.

For areas going ahead with the exam, preventive measures must be carried out as per the instructions from the ministries of health, and education and training.

According to Deputy Minister of Education and Training Nguyễn Hữu Độ, none of the country’s test takers are confirmed COVID-19 patients (F0 cases) so far, while several are individuals who have had contact with COVID-19 patients (F1 and F2) and are mainly in the central city of Đà Nẵng, Tuổi trẻ (Youth) newspaper reported.

Over 900,000 students are due to take part in the nationwide exam this year.

Students considered F1 and F2 across the country (if detected) will sit for the exam at the same time as students in current disease-stricken localities.

To test candidates who want to use high school graduation exam results for university applications, the ministry will work with the universities to find proper enrolment choices for the students.

The ministry asked localities to develop plans on organising the exam to ensure safety for students and staff, as well as ensure the quality of the exam.

F1 and F2 exam candidates are required to report to the ministry by August 12.

The schedule for the high school exam was decided in April, but unlike last year, this year’s results are for graduation certification only, instead of being used for university and college enrolment.

While some universities and colleges have their own enrolment standards, many education and training institutions still want to use the exam results to select students.

Safety first

Implementing directions of the Prime Minister and the Ministry of Education and Training, localities nationwide are carrying out measures to ensure a safe examination and effective disease prevention and control, Vietnam News Agency reported.

Director of Cần Thơ City’s Education and Training Department said that nearly 10,700 students would be sitting for the exam in 464 rooms at 24 exam stations.

The department arranged back-up rooms and staff in case students or supervisors are found to have symptoms of COVID-19.

The city strictly implemented preventive measures like disinfection at exam stations, providing soap and hand sanitiser, and ensuring all people at the exam stations wear face masks and check body temperatures.

In the southern province of Kiên Giang, director of the education and training department Trần Quang Bảo said that local students would be asked to arrive 20 minutes early so they can have their temperature checked and wash their hands.

Those with temperatures of over 37.5 degree Celsius could attend the exam at the discretion of health workers, he said.

Those who are found to have a fever or cough would be allowed to attend the exam if they have a health certificate issued by the local health agency and sit in one of the back-up rooms.

Vice director of the northeastern Quảng Ninh Province’s Education Department Đinh Ngọc Sơn said that in addition to 34 official exam sites, the province also arranged four back-up sites.

At all official exam sites, there are back-up rooms for candidates who are considered F2.

The department and local schools reviewed and made a list of students and teachers returning from Đà Nẵng since July 12.

“Those coming back from Đà Nẵng and those in contact with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 cases would not be involved with the exam,” he said. — VNS