Hanoi (VNS/VNA) - The results of the public high school entrance exams in Hanoiand Ho Chi Minh City have been announced, giving great joy to those studentswho passed and their families.

But for more than 50,000 students who failed,they now face the prospect of private schools.

Public schools in Vietnam are generallypreferred by students and parents. Getting into public schools is a must forthe majority of parents and students. As a result, the pressure to pass theexam is huge for the teenagers.

Due to public school’s popularity, publicschools in big cities have been overcrowded for years.

According to Hanoi’s Education and TrainingDepartment, there are 2,669 schools in the capital city, more than 80 percentof which are public schools.

One public school class is supposed to have 35to 40 students. However, it is hard to find any big city public school classwith less than 50 students.

It is even harder to address the public schoolovercrowding in the context of rapid population growth.

On the other side of the coin, some privateschools in Hanoi struggle to attract students, except famously high-qualityschools like Luong The Vinh and Nguyen Binh Khiem. Private high schools areconsidered a last resort for many.

Unlike the majority, Trinh Xuan, living in Hanoi’sThanh Xuan district, decided to let his child study at a private primaryschool.

“After three years of learning at a top publicschool of the district, my child moved to a private school. I could not let mychild study in a class of more than 60 students. It is impossible for teachersto look after each and every student,” he said.

“One month after moving to the private school,my child feels more comfortable. She is no longer afraid of going to school andgets excited every morning. She is becoming more independent,” he said.

Another parent named Ngo Thanh from Cau Giay districtregistered her child for the FPT private high school after failing the publicschool exam.

“I haven’t regretted my decision. The FPT learningenvironment is totally different from pressurised and overcrowded publicschools. My child is getting more independent thanks to boarding school.English is a priority subject so he does not have to attend extra Englishclasses,” she said.

“Teachers pay more attention to each studentbecause there are only 25 students in a class. Each of them can fully tap theirpotential with the teacher’s help,” she said, adding that her son did quitewell in the university entrance exam this month.

Despite higher tuition fees than public schools,Thanh said students do not have to take extra classes (like public schoolkids). Parents also do not have to take them to school.

According to National Assembly deputy Luu BinhNhuong, for a long time, society has seen public schools as more important thanprivate schools.

“I see that many private schools are of goodquality. However, we still persist with the mindset that public schools arebetter than private ones. We should remember that private schools are makingcontributions to training students but this sector is being left behind,” hesaid.

Nguyen Van Hoa, president of board of directorsof Nguyen Binh Khiem private school said that the public should view public andprivate schools equally.

“Private schools should receive assistance andinvestment in terms of infrastructure and loans,” he said.

Professor Vu Tuan, president of board ofdirectors of Hong Ha private school said “Private schools share the burden ofovercrowding with public schools and contribute to reducing State investment ineducation.”

He also urged the Ministry of Education andTraining to pay more attention to private schools.

Some students opt for apprentice schools overprivate schools when they fail the public entrance exams.

Nguyen Thanh Sang failed the exam to Nguyen ThiDieu high school in HCM City several years ago. Thanks to advice from teachers,he decided to apply for an automobile technical class. “I feel like I amfollowing the right direction,” he said.

HCM City has been a leading locality in offeringassistance to students who fail to get into public high schools.

According to the city’s Department of Educationand Training, students who fail the exam can come back to their secondary schoolto receive consultations on their future.

Secondary schools in District 11 review thenumber of students who fail. After that, the district’s education and trainingdivision meets with parents and students to talk to them about studying atcontinuing education centres or private high schools.

Education officers of District 6 also meet witheach student who fails and their family to offer consultation.-VNS/VNA