An exam centre prepares for the national high school graduation exam in Hai Bà Trưng District, Hà Nội. — VNA/VNS Photo Thanh Tùng

HÀ NỘI — Localities are quickly finishing their preparations for the national high school graduation exam to implement the dual goal – ensuring safety for candidates during the COVID-19 pandemic and ensuring a serious and fair exam.

As planned, more than 1.1 million students nationwide will sit for the national high school graduation exam following the Ministry of Education and Training’s schedule.

The exam will be held in two phases due to the COVID-19 pandemic; the first phase will take place on July 7-8 for candidates who are not infected with SARS-CoV-2.

Candidates who had direct contact with COVID-19 patients, called F1, and candidates who had direct contact with F1 cases and those living in areas under lockdown will sit the exam in the second phase. The official time for the second phase exam will be set later by the ministry.

In Hà Nội, head of Ba Đình District’s Education and Training Office Lê Đức Thuận said the district already arranged six back-up exam centres in case of incidents.

The district also set up medical teams with sufficient drugs and essential equipment for the exam, he added.

The district's Exam Steering Committee had checked all of the back-up and official exam centres to ensure careful preparations for the exam, including the implementation of pandemic prevention, fire prevention and facilities for the exam, he said.

In Cầu Giấy District, preparations at 10 exam centres were finished. The district authorities ordered kindergartens, primary schools and secondary schools, which were closed during the summer break due to the COVID-19 pandemic, near the exam centres to arrange waiting rooms for parents of candidates during the exam.

The district’s Health Centre has planned to spray disinfectant before the exam and after each test to ensure safety for the candidates and participants. It has also made plans to deal with any teacher, candidate or staff at any exam centre showing signs of fever, cough or shortness of breath.

Việt Nam Electricity’s Cầu Giấy Branch has assigned two staff members to be on duty at each exam centre to handle incidents. The branch has also arranged two power sources – one main power source and one back-up – to ensure the smooth supply of power at the exam centres.

In Thanh Oai District, vice chairman of the People’s Committee of the district Nguyễn Khánh Bình said the district had arranged 42 medical staff for the exam. There would be 9-12 medical staff at each exam centre.

Hà Nội has more than 101,000 candidates sitting the exam, accounting for 10 per cent of the total candidates in the country.

The city’s Education and Training Department has established 188 exam centres with the participation of nearly 15,000 teachers for the exam.

Deputy director of the department Phạm Văn Đại said parents needed to spent time encouraging their children to make them feel more comfortable before the exam.

Heads of all exam centres had to carefully prepare for incidents during the exam if any, he added.

In Thái Nguyên Province, director of the province’s Education and Training Department Phạm Việt Đức said all exam centres would be disinfected before July 6.

The province had conducted real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) tests for all people participating on Thursday to ensure safety.

Đà Nẵng City has also conducted RT-PCR tests for 12,700 candidates and over 3,300 people participating.

In HCM City, Lê Hoài Nam, deputy director of the city’s Education and Training Department said the city already arranged two back-up exam centres for each official exam centre in case of incidents.

The city’s Health Department had worked closely with the education sector to screen and update the list of teachers and employees participating in the exam, he said.

All candidates and people participating in the exam had been tested for SARS-CoV-2, he said.

The education department had developed scenarios to implement the exam and submitted them for approval by city administration, he said. — VNS