Subjects that appear regularly in the 10th grade entrance exams such as Math, Literature, and English are always considered by students and parents as the main subjects, requiring investment of time and money. The remaining subjects are considered secondary subjects, students neglect and study perfunctorily.
Study for the exam
After more than 10 years working in the education sector, Ms. Pham Thi Ha, an art teacher in Hanoi, feels sad when many parents and students think differently about subjects at school. This is shown by the fact that students only focus on subjects that serve the exam, while other subjects are studied perfunctorily, just to get enough points to move up to the next grade and graduate.
Many times during class, the female teacher saw students hiding their Math, Literature, and English books in their desks, occasionally pulling them out to read or do their homework. When the teacher asked, the students innocently replied that they were taking advantage of the time to review their lessons because they had an upcoming test.
" If students bring out books from other subjects to study during an art class, which teacher doesn't feel hurt and sad?" Ms. Hai said, adding that the mentality of studying whatever is on the test still exists in the perception and thinking of many students and parents. Students consider subjects that are not on the test as minor subjects, so they take them lightly and are uncooperative in the teaching and learning process.
Many students only focus on studying subjects in the exam program and neglect the remaining subjects. (Illustration photo)
According to the female teacher, currently in the education sector, there is no document that regulates or distinguishes between main subjects and secondary subjects. However, subjects serving exams such as Math, Literature, and English are often given more attention by schools. That is why students and parents implicitly understand that these are main subjects. Studying at school is not enough, they also go to centers and extra classes to consolidate their knowledge.
Bad consequences for the future
Discussing the attitude of students when taking lightly subjects that are not included in the exam, Dr. Vu Thu Huong, an education expert, said that the fault is not entirely the children's but comes from the family, the school and more deeply, from the exam policies. This is reflected in the way teachers teach, to the way parents urge their children to study and the way they choose subjects for the 10th grade and university entrance exams.
“Right from primary school, there have been cases where teachers take time from other subjects to teach Math and Vietnamese. At home, many parents who manage their children’s studies also pay most of their attention to these two subjects,” said Dr. Huong, adding that such actions will cause children to form the idea of differentiating between main and secondary subjects.
When students only focus on exam subjects and study perfunctorily, and carelessly study the remaining subjects, just to get enough points to graduate, not only does it cause children to study lopsidedly, leading to an imbalance in thinking, but it also leaves dangerous consequences for the future. However, parents and students do not see this, but only care about the immediate issue of scores and achievements.
The idea of studying for exams will cause students to study lopsidedly, causing bad consequences for the future. (Illustration photo)
According to Dr. Huong, there are many students who are very good at Math and Literature, with IELTS scores of 7.0 or 8.0, but lack basic knowledge in life, and even ''don't know what water spinach or Malabar spinach look like or how a carp is different from a silver carp...''. This knowledge is taught through subjects that students themselves still label as minor subjects and look down on.
“Many students still have the illusion that being good at Math, Literature, and English means they are good students. However, in reality, they lack other knowledge about life and society, leading to mistakes and failures in life. In many cases, when asked about famous historical figures, they give wrong answers. Or even in basic communication, students are not confident enough," Dr. Huong emphasized.
The female doctor believes that in the education system, subjects all play an important role in providing knowledge, while also contributing to orientation and shaping personality and skills.
Natural sciences help develop logical thinking and reasoning skills, while social sciences provide important moral lessons. A diverse approach gives students the opportunity to explore and develop their individual abilities to the fullest. Therefore, the notion of "no exams, no learning" should be abandoned.
Focusing only on studying Math, Literature, and English for exams is also a biased way of studying, not only does it not help students gain a rich amount of knowledge, but also furthers the path of development and achieving comprehensive success in the future. "There should be a variety of subjects for the 10th grade entrance exam, students have the right to choose freely, not necessarily focusing on just three subjects: Math, Literature, and English. To do this, the entire education system needs to change to respect students' abilities," said the female doctor.
Ministry of Education and Training worries about students' unbalanced learning
At the Government press conference on the afternoon of October 7, Deputy Minister of Education and Training Pham Ngoc Thuong said that in the past, localities have been proactive in the number of subjects, duration, and exam questions for the 10th grade entrance exam. The Ministry found that most provinces and cities chose to take three subjects.
The fact that localities decide on the number of subjects for the 10th grade entrance exam as in previous years is not consistent, "a hundred flowers bloom" creates inadequacies in the inspection and assessment of teaching and learning. Therefore, the Ministry plans to issue regulations stipulating that the public 10th grade entrance exam will take place with three subjects, of which two are compulsory, Math and Literature, the third subject will be drawn from one of the subjects assessed by scores (Foreign Language, Civic Education, Natural Science, History and Geography, Technology, Information Technology). The exam subjects will be announced before March 31 every year.
According to Mr. Thuong, if localities choose to do so, this can be affected by the subjective will of the leaders, causing many consequences. If a fixed subject is chosen, the Ministry of Education and Training is concerned about the situation of rote learning and biased learning.
"The Ministry is researching ways to choose the third subject. It may be possible to not set a fixed subject, this year we will take social studies, next year we will take natural sciences, and then another subject, or it may be a random draw as stated in the draft," said the Deputy Minister.
Source: https://vtcnews.vn/hoc-nguyen-toan-van-anh-de-thi-vao-lop-10-cung-la-hoc-lech-ar900984.html
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