A lot of children do not have a “summer holiday” in the true sense of the word, because they have to learn hard to prepare for the exams to enter the first grade of prestigious schools.

Primary school entrance exam as stressful as university entrance exam

About ten private primary schools in Hanoi plan to organize exams to enroll students for the 2011-2012 academic year in order to choose the best students for the schools.

The number of students registering to study at the schools is clearly big, while the number of students the schools plan to enroll is limited. The Experimental Primary School, for example, plans to enroll 180 students for the first grade, but 600 students have registered to take the school entrance exam, which means that 420 students will be disqualified.

The Doan Thi Diem Primary School plans to enroll 400 students this year, but 900 students have registered to study at the school so far. Headmaster of the school, Nguyen Thi Hien said last year, the school enrolled 500 students, while there were 1600 applications. She thinks that the number of students registering to take the exam to the school, to be held on May28, will be the same with the last year.

The Le Quy Don Primary School has also reported that it is seeking 360 students for the first grade, while the number of registrations has been several times higher.

While other primary schools are still receiving applications from students, the Nguyen Sieu Primary School organized the exam already. Children were asked to spend a whole day at the school. They had to attend the tests which aim to find out student’s capability in language, mathematical thinking, English skills, and the ability to observe, remember, and express ideas. Also, they also had to go through the health examination. Meanwhile, the members of the jury board also gave marks to every student when they watched the students eating, sleeping and playing at the school.

A parent commented that the exam organized by the Nguyen Sieu School is as difficult as the contest to find out the “queen of the beauty”.

Minh, who has a daughter attending the school entrance exams on April 23 and 24, said that with the competition ratio of 1/5 (one student has to compete with other five in order to obtain a seat at the school), the primary school entrance exam is as stressful as the university entrance exam.

Gearing up for preparing for exams

A lot of students have failed to enter Nguyen Sieu Primary School. However, the exam results cannot discourage their parents. “Better luck next time”, a parent said, adding that his son will attend the exams to four other schools.

Another parent also said that her daughter will have to take many other exams to other primary schools, while she will only make decision about which school the girl will go to after she receives the exams results.

Parents have set up an ambitious goal for their children that the children need to pass the exams to the prestigious schools at any costs. Therefore, right after Tet holiday, many children have begun the difficult period of preparing for the primary school entrance exams.

A mother said that her child still has to learn even on holidays, but has to learn hard: solving the questions raised at the previous year’s exams, practicing writing and English skills.

My, who lives in Cau Giay District in Hanoi, related that her daughter goes to the exam preparation classes opened by some primary schools and she has to pay 3-4 million dong for the classes since February 2011. Besides this, the daughter is also learning with a private tutor, who is helping the girl practice writing.

Meanwhile, psychologists have pointed out that it is really a bad thing to put students under a hard pressure when they are still small. A woman related that her daughter feels ashamed because she failed to enter Nguyen Sieu School, because she was light in weight (18 kilos). Meanwhile, a father said that his boy dare not take other exams after he failed the exam to Nguyen Sieu School, because he thinks he is not capable enough to go to school.

Source: Tien phong