Students at Đào Duy Anh High School in HCM City's District 6. Photo courtesy of sggp.org.vn

HCM CITY — Many students in HCM City who are going to graduate from secondary schools are now considering private education facilities. 

Various vocational colleges and private schools, including Duy Tân High School in District 10, Ngọc Viễn Đông High School in District 12, and Việt Mỹ High School in Tân Bình District, have started to offer tuition promotions to increase enrollment amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Nguyễn Thuyên, vice principal of Lý Thái Tổ High School in Gò Vấp District, told Sài Gòn Giải Phóng (Liberated Sài Gòn) newspaper that students’ first-month tuition fee would be cut by 30 per cent. Students from disadvantaged families who have had "good" marks would be offered a 10 per cent reduction, and students considered "excellent" would be totally exempt from tuition.

He explained that the school wants to support students and their families during this challenging period.

At the intermediate education level, Lý Tự Trọng Technical College in Tân Bình District plans to increase its enrollment target from 2,745 to 3,150 slots, covering different majors such as mechanical engineering, manufacturing, and automotive technology, among others.

A similar circumstance can be seen at the HCM City Technical and Economic College in District 6 where another 55 slots have been added to the enrollment target. Prospective students were allowed to submit their admission forms for the 2021-22 academic year beginning in January this year, earlier than in previous years.

For the 2021-22 academic year, Chu Văn An Center of Continuing Education in District 5 plans to focus on English and Computer Science programmes. Vocational classes on logistics, web design, tour guide, and beauty care, among others, will open as well. Students will be able to graduate after three years with two certificates.

Private schools 

HCM City public school capacity currently cannot handle admission demand. According to the HCM City Department of Education and Training, the city has 99,559 students graduating from secondary schools during the 2020-21 school year. As many as 83,324 of them have registered to take the 10th-grade public high school entrance exam.

However, a total of 114 public high schools in HCM City have offered only 67,989 slots for the 2021-22 academic year. As such, about 17,000 students would not be able to consider their three potential school choices, not to mention the 16,000 students not attending the entrance exam.

To solve this problem, authorities have reserved more than 45,000 slots for 122 private high schools, vocational schools and other private education facilities. This is an increase of 10,000 slots compared to previous years. 

Private schools in recent years have supported nearly 30 per cent of 10th-graders and students from families who move to HCM City from other provinces to work. 

HCM City has created multiple policies to promote private schools, such as preferential loans and autonomy.

Between 2020 and 2030, human resource demand is expected to increase to 150,000 positions. Primary vocational education qualifications will account for 21 per cent, intermediate education qualifications for 28 per cent, college degrees for 16 per cent, and university degrees or high for 18 per cent. 

Since private schools have experienced an upgrade, the pressure of attending a public high school in HCM City is now less stressful for those who have just graduated from secondary schools. 

Many private schools have also created a system with other campuses across the city. — VNS