The public was stirred up by the news that a female student in Khanh Hoa province set fire to the healthcare room at her school.

The public was stirred up by the news that a female student in Khanh Hoa province set fire to the healthcare room at her school.

The student had ‘promised’ to do this if she could obtain a certain number of ‘likes’ on Facebook.

According to Hoang Gia Trang from the Vietnam Education Science Institute, the number of school incidents of violence and deviant behavior such as truancy, drop-out, stealing and copying is on the rise.

“Students commit acts of aggression and assault everywhere, in cities and rural areas. They could be both male and female students. And the consequences in many cases are very serious,” Trang said.

Around 71 percent of secondary school students have ‘good conduct’, but the proportion is lower at high school, at 65.6 percent. The figures are 23.5 percent and 24.9 percent, respectively, for ‘moderately good conduct’.

The statistics about the students’ conduct in 25 cities and provinces show serious problems. Around 71 percent of secondary school students have ‘good conduct’, but the proportion is lower at high school, at 65.6 percent. The figures are 23.5 percent and 24.9 percent, respectively, for ‘moderately good conduct’.

Students have also been found committing many other deviant behaviors. They don’t listen to teachers’ in class, don’t bring textbooks when going to school, make noise in class just to show up and catch others’ attention. Many students play truant from lessons just to play games at internet cafés.

While educators ring the alarm bell over deviant behavior, students don’t think this is a big problem. A recent survey on students’ thoughts about deviant behavior found that 23 percent of students believe ‘it is normal’ to be late to school or absent from lessons. 

A high school student in Hanoi, when asked if she once played truant in the past, said  she was sure all Vietnamese students play truant at least once in their lives.

The female student said she did not think plagiarizing is ‘something terrible’. 

“When you have too many work to do, you have to ignore some work. And if you have not learned your lessons, you need to copy others’ school work to get good marks,” she explained.

Huynh Van Son from the HCM City University of Education noted that nearly all schools have ‘code of conduct at school’, however, uncultured behaviors at school are still on the rise.

According to the Ministry of Education and Training (MOET), about 1,600 cases of students fighting each other happen every year, or five cases a day. 

There is one case in every 5,200 students and one out of every 11,000 students is expelled from school because of fighting.


Nam Lich