During summer vacation students enjoy free time and relax after a busy school year. In Vietnam, however, some students face a big challenge before enjoying their summer — national examinations!
Vietnam has a rigorous, competitive curriculum. Students wanting to ultimately enter College or University focus on important examinations like the Entrance Examination for High School, taken in 9th grade, and the National High School Graduation Examination, taken in 12th grade.
Subjects Covered in Exams
In 2017, three subjects were mandatory for all students: Mathematics, Literature, and Foreign Language. Students must also choose either Natural Sciences or Social Sciences as a fourth subject. In some cases, students can take both Natural Sciences and Social Sciences and the higher result will count.
Every year students living in our community-based Children’s Homes take part in national exams.
Our Children’s Homes Students and Exams
This year, three children took the National High School Graduation Examination at the end of June. As a result:
- A child in the Van Hoa Home entered the Tourism College
- In the Tan Linh Home one child entered the National University, faculty of Pedagogical Literature, and another entered college in the faculty of Business Administration.
Eleven children took the Entrance Examination For High School. As a result:
- In Van Hoa, five children entered local high schools. Because of exceptional gifting in art, one entered the College of Arts . (NOTE: Arts schools sometimes take gifted students after Jr. High. They then study to develop their artistic talents and academic subjects at the same time.)
- In Tan Linh, two children entered Vocational School to study cooking and the another one went to local high school
- In Phu Chau, two children entered local high schools.
During preparation for the exams, the children participated in extra study courses in their schools and friends in the Children’s Home took over their chores so that they could focus on studying for the exams!