VietNamNet Bridge – Going abroad or
studying at domestic universities is the question many students and parents ask
themselves. The degrees of foreign universities will allow finding good jobs
more easily, but the studying will be costly. Meanwhile, it would be cheaper to
study at Vietnamese schools, but the schools just fit low and medium income
earners.

“Everything
is getting confusing. My parents once told me to prepare for the university
entrance exams and that I will have to study at a domestic school. However,
they have later said, they will allow me to go studying abroad. I don’t know
what to do now,” said Tran Ngoc My, a 12^th grader in district 3 in HCM City.

My was born
into a well off family, where both her mother and father are doing private
business. The parents are too busy with their business and they do not have
time to take care for the daughter’s learning. However, My is good at learning.

As the parents
said that they would spend money to fund My’s studying abroad, My thought that
she did not work too hard to prepare for the domestic university entrance exams
like her classmates. The only thing she did in the last many months was reading
information from different sources to find out which foreign school she should
enroll in.

My many
times asked her parents in which country she will study in, but the parents
only gave a vague answer that My needs to choose the school she likes and the
parents will make a decision later.

Therefore,
My decided to enroll into the most prestigious schools in the world which
require sky high tuitions of up to tens of thousands dollars per annum.

Just
several days ago, when My gave the list of universities she intends to study
at, her mother said hesitantly: “I think you would be better to study at a
domestic school first and we will think of studying abroad later”.

The answer
has caused shock to My. She hasn’t  the
heart to do anything now. “Going abroad studying is no joke and it requires
thorough planning,” My complained. “It is now too late to begin preparing for
the university entrance exams”.

University
entrance exams are considered the most important exams in the life of students.
Since most students want to study further at universities after they finish
schools, they have to compete fiercely with each other to obtain seats at
universities.

Going
abroad or studying at domestic universities is the question many students and
parents raise for themselves. The degrees of foreign universities will allow finding
good jobs more easily, but the studying will be costly. Meanwhile, it would be
cheaper to study at Vietnamese schools, but the schools just fit low and medium
income earners.

Nguyen
Tien, a 12^th grader in HCM
City, also said he has
become too tired with the requirements set by his mother. “My parents want
their children all become geniuses. I am afraid I would get crazy after the
university entrance exam,” he complained.

Meanwhile,
Tien’s parents have put high hopes on their son. “We will send you to a famous
university in the world. But you still needs to pass the upcoming university
entrance exams, to show to other people that you go studying abroad not because
you fail the domestic exams,” the mother said.

This means
that Tien has to prove that he is capable enough to pass the difficult domestic
exams, and his parents are rich enough to send him to foreign schools.

“This will
be a shame if you fail the exams. You just have two months more to show your
capability,” the mother tells the son every time when the boy feels tired and
wants to go to bed.

Dr Nguyen
Kim Dung, Deputy Head of the Education Research Institute, has confirmed that
many parents plan to send their children to foreign schools, but they still
want their children to pass the domestic exams. “It is just because of the face
of the parents,” she said.

She has
advised parents not to put too hard pressure on their children. Instead of
forcing them to work hard, they should encourage children to learn about the
new learning environment and prepare necessary English skills.

Thanh Huyen