Like other pupils across the country, 11,003 candidates from Da Nang and Quang Nam Province are sitting for the 2016 national senior high school graduation examinations between 1 and 4 July.  There are tests in mathematics, foreign languages, literature, physics, geography, chemistry, history and biology.

Amongst the candidates is 22-year-old Mai Van Hien from the Nguyen Thuong Hien Senior High School.  He is the only visually-impaired examinee in the city to sit for the national exams.  Hien said he had registered for the Faculty of Business Administration at the city’s University of Economics.

Mr Tam

His father Mai Van Thong said that he once encouraged his son to quit school to find a job suitable for his disabilities.  However, the strong-willed young man insisted on continuing and pursuing his academic dreams.  Most notably, he achieved good study results during the 12-year study period, from primary to senior levels.

Hien’s teacher at the Nguyen Thuong Hien school emphasised that he felt inferior and was very afraid of communicating with other people during his first days at the school.  Soon after, the school’s teachers inspired him to get on well with his schoolmates. 

Apart from being good at maths, physics and chemistry, Hien also has a musical ability and he was dubbed as one of the ‘best singers’ at his school.

During the ongoing national exams, Hien is being allowed to take the exams in a separate room, with the help of a teacher from the Nguyen Dinh Chieu Specialised High School.  The teacher is responsible for helping the disabled candidate to understand the exams’ questions.

A 41-year-old woman named Tam from Quang Nam Province is one of the oldest examinees at this year’s exams.  Interestingly, she and her 18-year-old daughter are taking the exams at the same location in the city - the Nguyen Thuong Hien Senior High School.  Tam’s daughter has encouraged her to do her utmost to pass the exams.

Tam has always dreamed of receiving a senior high school graduation certificate, which inspired her to register for this year’s exams.

Like Tam, 35-year-old employee Phan The Tam from the city-based Tien Sa Taxis is also sitting for the exams because he is required to have a senior high school graduation certificate to meet his company’s employment requirements, and he also wants to experience the feeling of gaining a victory for himself.