VietNamNet Bridge - Education experts have warned about unreasonable education methods applied at school and at home, saying that many Vietnamese students do not have sympathy towards people with disabilities and disadvantages.

 

Primary school students participate in  extracurricular activities

The HCM City Education Research Institute, an arm of the HCM City University of Education, concluded that many Vietnamese students are insensitive and lack empathy toward others. 

The survey was conducted at 20 high schools, including 12 state-owned and 8 non-state owned, in 12 districts in HCM City.

The survey found that 57.4 percent of students lack knowledge about history and the nation’s traditions, 57.3 percent lack knowledge about constitution and laws, 49.8 percent don’t like social sciences subjects, and 42.5 percent don’t have respect to teachers and speak ill of teachers. 

The survey also found that 34.8 percent of students don’t want to do housework or they are lazy to do housework. At least 46.8 percent of students are pragmatic and want to take jobs that are high-paying; 37.6 percent lack compassion and are insensitive, and 42.9 percent do not have a sense of citizen responsibility.

At least 75.9 percent of the surveyed students at state-owned schools and 62.7 percent of students at non-state owned schools are good or excellent students, while 92.7 percent of students have good conduct. 

Education experts have warned about unreasonable education methods applied at school and at home, saying that many Vietnamese students do not have sympathy towards people with disabilities and disadvantages.

Though the students who understand the nation’s morality and laws accounted for a high proportion, above 50 percent at all the surveyed schools, there were problems in implementing the understanding in reality. 

Ngo Minh Oanh, head of the research institute, said the figures showed the problems in law and morality at schools.

“Many students do not have any knowledge about citizen rights and they are indifferent to these rights,” she said.

“This explains why a part of the Vietnamese youth follows a deviant lifestyle and have lower morals. This also partially explains the younger ages of people who commit crimes,” she said.

Huynh Cong Minh, former director of the HCM City, also thinks the problem lies in education at general school. 

He noted that while the education content was large and covers many fields, education on kindness, love and responsibility has not been provided in a reasonable way.

A high school in Hanoi, agreeing with Minh, commented that an unreasonable teaching method is being applied at school. 

“Students just need to learn by heart the lessons on morality and get a high score,” he commented. “This explains why many parents complain they are the ‘slaves’ to their children.”

“Children have meals because they are requested by parents. They do housework because they are paid by parents. They do something for parents under the contracts signed between them and parents,” he said.

PL TPHCM