An annual student exam competition will be held in 64 cities and provinces in the country on March 11, yet this year’s event has seen a lack of interest from top students.
The contest aims to seek outstanding students for a national academic team, which competes at various scholastic events.
Several high-aptitude students have recently withdrawn from the national team, especially 12th graders.
Being selected for the national academic team is not easy. Only the most outstanding students are allowed to compete for a spot on the national team after proving their ability to beat out thousands of others at the local level.
At the national level, students must select a single subject to study and be tested on. This means they are left with only a little time to study other subjects for their high school graduation and university entrance examinations.
A student from south-central Binh Thuan Province who was deemed outstanding, took a national examination competition in geography, but subsequently failed the high school graduation exam in the 2009 school year.
In addition, after the Ministry of Education and Training overturned a decision in 2007 allowing national academic-level students to enter university without taking the usual exam, there was a sharp drop in the number of students competing for a spot on the team.
