VietNamNet Bridge - Foreign students wishing to study at Vietnamese universities or colleges may soon be exempted from sitting for entrance examinations.

A draft circular issued by the Ministry of Education and Training said foreigners only had to provide their high school grades to the institutions at which they wished to enrol.

Vietnamese students, however, must sit for an entrance examination, often described as difficult.

In addition to good study records, foreign students must be able to study in Vietnamese and possess good general knowledge. Admission will be decided by the school.

The new circular is aimed at attracting and encouraging foreign students to study in Viet Nam.

A Chinese student at the HCM City University of Social Sciences and Humanities, said most foreign students chose to study in Viet Nam because of its interesting culture and remarkable developing economy.

However, he said foreign students faced difficulties in learning Vietnamese, cultural differences and finding accommodation.

The new circular has not met approval from many Vietnamese. “It’s unfair. My children have to study really hard to pass the entrance university exams while others don’t,” Tran Minh Phuong, mother of a 12th grader, said.

Phuong said the specific criteria should be designed by the ministry, not schools, to enrol foreign students to ensure transparency and fairness.

However, Nguyen Thu Nga, a teacher at a Ha Noi private high school, said foreign students would find it hard to catch up with their Vietnamese classmates.

The ministry is collecting opinions from relevant authorities and agencies before submitting the draft to the Government for approval.

Source: VNS