Uong Minh Long, Deputy Director of Hai Phong City's Department of Education and Training, announced the news on the afternoon of 23/7 at the city's July press conference.

A week earlier, the family of Pham Huy Hung protested after being unexpectedly asked to "immediately withdraw his application," even though their son had already been attending the specialized Russian language class at Tran Phu Specialized High School for 10 days. His mother said that the sudden loss of the opportunity to study at his dream school had caused him significant emotional distress.

According to the Department, the second round admission score for the Russian language program at Tran Phu Specialized High School was 34.95, with a total of 35 students meeting this requirement. However, upon review, the admissions board discovered they had overlooked a student who scored 35.05 due to an "unforeseen technical issue." This student had previously been accepted into a public high school but did not enroll.

To ensure fairness to all applicants, the Department adjusted the admission score for the Russian language program to 35.05. This meant Hung, with a score of 34.95, no longer qualified.

"We recognized that this was the fault of the adults and the admissions software, not the student. A compassionate solution was necessary," Long said.

Long said the Department reported the situation to the Hai Phong City People's Committee and the Ministry of Education and Training, and received approval to increase the class size for the Russian language program to 36 students. Ministry regulations, as per Circular 05 of 2023, stipulate that specialized classes should not exceed 35 students.

"Class size regulations are intended to prevent negativity and profiteering, not to restrict students' access to education. Therefore, increasing the class size to admit both students was the most reasonable solution," Long stated.

Uong Minh Long, Deputy Director of Hai Phong City's Department of Education and Training, announces the resolution of the incident at Tran Phu Specialized High School. Photo Le Tan

Uong Minh Long, Deputy Director of Hai Phong City's Department of Education and Training, announces the resolution of the incident at Tran Phu Specialized High School. Photo Le Tan

Tran Phu Specialized High School, established in 1986, is a renowned specialized high school nationwide. In the recent national high school academic competition for the past school year, approximately 100 students from the school won prizes, placing Hai Phong in the top 3 nationwide.

This year, the school admitted 630 10th-grade students across 18 specialized classes. Admission scores ranged from 28.01 to 44.05 (the total of three general subjects plus the specialized subject multiplied by two).

Le Tan