Hanoi authorities on Wednesday announced that the second phase of the national high school graduation exam, which was initially slated for August 6-7, will be canceled due to concerns over the prevalence of COVID-19 in the community.

Traditionally held in July, the national high school graduation exam is an annual assessment that 12th-grade students in Vietnam’s K-12 system are required to sit after they finish their studies.

Results of the test are needed for graduation and to help universities and colleges enroll undergraduates.

On account of the coronavirus, this year’s iteration of the exam is implemented in two phases. 

While the first, carried out on July 7-8, involved the majority of candidates, the second phase is intended for students who were unable to finish their tests because of the pandemic.

In a recent guiding document, the Hanoi Department of Education and Training decided to pass all candidates who signed up for this year’s exam and did not get disciplined by the exam panel in the first phase, but were not able to complete or enter the first phase because of unforeseeable circumstances.

The department requires all high schools and educational centers to inform the eligible candidates about their granted privilege.

Those who wish to qualify for the privilege would need to apply to their respective education facilities through emails, so that the school officials can compile a list of candidates to submit to the municipal education authority. 

In their statement, the Hanoi Department of Education and Training also ordered education facilities to notify their students of the upcoming aptitude tests for the Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City campuses of the Vietnam National University, which will supersede the national high school exam results to decide entrances to these higher institutions. 

Other higher education facilities are encouraged to devise their own tests, instead of using the national exam results, to evaluate their applicants.

The capital city has reported 1,082 COVID-19 infections since April 27, when the fourth wave started wreaking havoc in Vietnam.

On Saturday, Hanoi authorities began the implementation of the prime minister’s Directive No. 16, which requires all residents to stay home unless for essential duties, plus banning all public transport, taxi, ride-hailing, and food delivery services.

Vietnam on Thursday morning reported 2,821 new cases of COVID-19, increasing the country’s tally to 123,640 with 27,457 recoveries, according to the Ministry of Health.

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