On the morning of 13/8, during the presentation of the draft law amending and supplementing several articles of the Education Law before the Standing Committee of the National Assembly, Minister Nguyen Kim Son said the draft law adjusts the process so that the head of the educational institution implementing the lower secondary program will confirm completion in the student's academic record, replacing the issuance of a diploma.

This approach reduces the administrative workload for state management agencies while increasing autonomy for educational institutions. The authority to issue upper secondary diplomas is also proposed to be transferred from the Director of the Department of Education and Training to the school principal.

The Minister of Education and Training explained that many countries, such as the US, Canada, the UK, Australia, and Finland, do not issue lower secondary diplomas, instead using confirmation from the principal for further education. In Vietnam, the policy of universal education up to 9th grade has achieved nearly 100% student completion, so changing from a "diploma" to "confirmation" will not affect students' rights, but rather reduce procedures and costs.

Minister of Education and Training Nguyen Kim Son. Photo: *National Assembly Portal*

However, the Chairman of the Culture and Social Affairs Committee suggested further consideration, as the lower secondary diploma is currently proof of completing basic education, a basis for student streaming after lower secondary school, and a mandatory criterion for the 10th-grade entrance exam.

Currently, graduating from lower secondary school is a mandatory criterion for students to take the 10th-grade upper secondary school entrance exam. Early last year, the Ministry eliminated the excellent, good, and average classifications on lower secondary diplomas.

The draft amended law also stipulates that the provincial People's Committee (UBND) will decide on textbook selection; assigns specialized agencies under the provincial UBND to compile, appraise, and approve local educational materials. The Ministry of Education and Training will issue regulations on appraisal councils and technical standards for these materials to enhance the responsibility of local education management.

Regarding the proposal to transfer the authority to issue upper secondary diplomas to the principal, the Standing Committee of the Verification Board noted the need for detailed regulations during implementation, especially in the process of data digitization, to ensure strict management, storage, and post-inspection.

Regarding the upper secondary graduation exam, the verification report presents two viewpoints: maintaining the current exam format, or switching to graduation assessment to align with the trend of process evaluation, reducing exam pressure and costs. Under the second option, the recruitment of intermediate, college, and university students will be left to the educational institutions to organize themselves.

Son Ha