Hanoi (VNA)🎃 – Deputy Minister of Education and Training Nguyen Huu Do has asked localities to work hard so that students don’t have to do without examination venues and they can get to them easily.                                                                              

The 2019 national high school examination is only two weeks away and to ensure the exam takes place in a safe manner, an inspection delegation from the National Steering Committee for national high school examination and student recruitment this year led by Deputy Minister of Education and Training Nguyen Huu Do checked preparations for the exam in many localities.

Preparing vehicles to pick up students

In mountainous localities with rough terrain, many schools are far from downtown, making it difficult for students to reach exam venues. Deputy Minister Do stressed the need to support them in travelling. In Yen Bai, Director of the provincial Education and Training Department Vuong Van Bang reported that this year, more than 7,000 local students have registered for the exam.                                                                                           Yen Bai has arranged 25 examination venues with 305 rooms, along with nearly 1,000 exam supervisors. Along with the provincial steering committee, nine committees at the city and district level have been set up to ensure effective coordination during the exam. According to Bang, some examination venues are nearly 200km from the downtown, which takes students about five hours to reach. At the same time, rains and landslides frequently occur in the locality. As many as 567 contestants face difficulties in reaching the examination venues, and 454 others have to travel from remote areas to the venues. In that context, to ensure that students can reach the examination venue safely, Yen Bai has prepared automobiles and motorbikes to pick up the kids. Some schools have arranged free and affordable accommodation with the support of local residents. In case of bad weather, the students can stay at the examination venues where they will be provided with meals.

Supplying rice to contestants

Another mountainous province, Dien Bien also has rough terrain and a high rate of students from ethnic minority groups and locals living in poor conditions. The province has prepared support for contestants. At a meeting with the National Steering Committee for national high school examination, Director of the provincial Department of Education and Training Nguyen Van Kien said that in 2019, Dien Bien has 5,300 contestants, including nearly 2,500, or 46.5 percent of the total, who will only take part in the exam for high-school graduation recognition. Le Van Quy, Vice Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee and head of the Dien Bien Steering Committee for national high school examination, said preparations for the exam have been finalised in line with regulations of the ministry and the province’s conditions. “The province will give optimal conditions to students and parents to ensure they do their best in the exam,” he stated. Quy said that due to the weather conditions of the province with frequent rains, storms and landslides, local students have suffered from difficulties and many even have go to the exam venue without meals. Therefore, Quy suggested departments and sectors, especially the education sector, make careful plans for the exams, with special attention to poor and boarding students from ethnic minority groups by providing rice to them in June when they no longer receive support from the State. Highly valuing efforts of localities in preparing for the exam as well as support to the students in difficult areas, Deputy Minister Do asked localities to sufficiently implement their set plans. He requested the localities pay great attention to weather developments in mountainous areas. Last year, in Lai Chau, floods struck an exam venue close to the exam date, he noted, stressing the need for the localities to prepare alternative plans. “We must strive to make sure no contestant fails to reach the exam venue due to difficulties,” stressed Deputy Minister Do.-VNA