Many people say going to school is hard, why do we need a happy school?

(Dan Tri) - Understanding that happy schools are for fun and less studying, many people react with the view: "Going to school means suffering, why do we need happy schools?"

That is one of the incorrect understandings about happy schools mentioned by Mr. Nguyen Ngoc An, Chairman of the Vietnam Education Trade Union, at the conference to review happy schools and deploy tasks for the 2024-2025 school year of the Department of Education and Training of Ho Chi Minh City held on the morning of November 29.

Mr. Nguyen Ngoc An (Photo: Hoai Nam).

Mr. An said: "I hear many people say that there is no need for a happy school because going to school means suffering and hard work, not going to school for fun. Because they understand that a happy school means that students go to school to have fun."

Some people also wonder why our school has organized performances, decorations, and welcomes for decades... why it is not called a happy school but now it has this concept.

Mr. Nguyen Ngoc An shared that the understanding of a happy school as one side is decoration, flags, and entertainment, and the other side is to let students escape from studying is not correct. This understanding can lead to misunderstandings and distortions about happy schools, which is very dangerous.

Ms. Miki Nozawa, Head of Education Department of UNESCO Vietnam, said that in an easy-to-imagine way, a happy school is a place where we can see teachers smiling and cheerful, hear students' giggles, feel the fresh air or eat a delicious meal at school.

It is a place where everyone can learn, grow and have fun at the same time; feel happy, welcomed, respected and supported.

The vision of happy schools as above is what UNESCO wants to see in the world and initiated 10 years ago, creating a global movement.

Ms. Miki Nozawa assessed Vietnam as one of the pioneering countries in promoting this initiative.

Students of Tan Phu Primary - Secondary - High School introduce happy school meals at the program (Photo: Hoai Nam).

In particular, Ho Chi Minh City has taken the lead in conducting a series of studies and consultations with stakeholders to develop and implement a set of criteria for a happy school framework locally in 2023.

Don't trade student happiness for quality education

In the presentation, the UNESCO representative pointed out many studies showing that happiness leads to better results in learning, teaching, health, performance, adaptability, etc.

This underscores that academic achievement is not at odds with happiness. Prioritizing happiness in education is not a luxury that must be sacrificed for the quality of education.

Happy schools create learners who love learning and become lifelong learners, and teachers who enjoy teaching and learning throughout their lives.

Student happiness is not at the expense of academic performance (Photo: Hoai Nam).

Deputy Minister of Education and Training Nguyen Van Phuc said that the initial results of bringing a happy environment into schools come from the belief that we do not trade off students' happiness for the quality of education.

"Happy learning is not about learning less but learning with enjoyment, creative curiosity, happiness and appreciation of knowledge. Pursuing the happy school model is inseparable from educational innovation.

A happy learner will nurture a love of learning, have the awareness and motivation to build a habit of lifelong self-learning, anytime, anywhere," Deputy Minister Phuc emphasized.

Ho Chi Minh City is one of the first units in the country to deploy the happy school criteria set at 100% of educational institutions from the 2023-2024 school year.

The set of criteria for building a happy school with 18 criteria is divided into 3 groups of standards on people, teaching and educational activities, and environment.

The assessment criteria are based on a survey of teachers and students' perceptions at the school. Each criterion is assessed into 3 levels: needs improvement, fair, excellent.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/giao-duc/nhieu-nguoi-noi-di-hoc-la-phai-kho-can-gi-truong-hoc-hanh-phuc-20241129133513864.htm