VietNamNet Bridge – The video clip of a 12th grader which talks about the big problems of the Vietnamese education has surprisingly applauded by education experts.

Clip exposing Vietnamese education’s problems stirs up the public

The “slacker,” in the clip named “su tran tro cua mot ke luoi being” (the concern of a slacker), a 12th grader tries to talk in the 1-hour clip about the existing problems in the Vietnamese education that he believes have become very serious.

The student says Vietnamese education tries to stuff students’ heads with unnecessary knowledge, while it does not pay appropriate attention to the teaching of life skills, morality lessons. He also believes that the national education has caught the “achievement disease,” while it has been applying backward teaching method, thus making children get afraid of lessons.

The complaints of the student were believed to make him a “naughty boy” in the eyes of teachers. He might be a lazy student, because he believes that secondary education is enough for a person to live and grow up into a useful citizen in the society. He might be not good at learning, because he does not applaud the big achievements reported by the national education. Some people might think that he is a killjoy because he has denied a lot of great achievements.

However, surprisingly, the “naughty boy” and the “slacker” has been lauded by experienced educators.

Professor Van Nhu Cuong, Headmaster of Luong The Vinh High School in Hanoi, said he has been convinced by the 12th grade student.

Cuong said what the student talks in the video clip is exactly the viewpoints of many educators and students. The difference between the “slacker” and others is that the slacker dares say about his viewpoint and point out the problems, while others dare not.

A good education is the one which encourages students to tell what they think. However, it’s so dangerous now is that a lot of Vietnamese students do not want to express their opinions, or they simply don’t know what they should learn for.

Cuong went on to say that he agrees with some viewpoints of the student, though he said some matters raised by the student would still need further debates.

“I myself many times said at education forums that the general school curriculums are overloaded to students, and that students’ heads have been stuffed with too much academic knowledge, while they cannot access to practical necessary knowledge,” Cuong said.

“I think it’d be better to eliminate half of the knowledge being taught to general school students,” he maintained.

Headmaster of Dinh Tien Hoang High School -- Nguyen Tung Lam, highly appreciates the presentation of the author of the clip, saying that the arguments are very “convincing.”

“The way he expresses his standpoint and the way he proves his viewpoint is very logical. He looks very confident. He is very good and I think that not many people can do this like him. I don’t think what he has said is too impractical or unrealistic,” Lam said.

A Vietnamese postgraduate in the US said he cried when watching the video clip. In the letter to the “slacker” published on Giao duc Vietnam, the postgraduate wrote that he admired the author of the clip, who is courage enough to tell out what he thinks, while the others cannot.

Ngu Duy Anh, Director of the Students’ Affairs Department under the Ministry of Education and Training, has advised the author of the clip to write a letter to the minister and express his opinions.

Van Chung