Ministry of Education and Training speaks out about the contest 'Conquering the Universe'

The Ministry of Education and Training affirmed that the "Conquering the Universe" contest has been assessed as beneficial for students and students do not have to pay any costs to participate.

A parent named Tran Trong An (Hoang Mai district, Hanoi) has just sent a letter to the Minister of Education and Training Phung Xuan Nha. The letter expressed concern about schools currently organizing for students to play an online game called "Conquering the Universe" with the requirement to top up money with scratch cards.

Parent Tran Trong An confirmed that the Ministry of Education and Training has sent a dispatch to localities requesting schools to coordinate in organizing this online game for middle school students.

In addition, this parent is also concerned that with a very immature body and mind, having online games "installed" in the brain too early (with strategies, competition and fees) will have many long-term harmful effects.

It is known that Mr. Tran Trong An's letter is being shared on social networks and is receiving a lot of public attention.

Cover depicts an entry in the "Conquering the Universe" contest (photo: appstore.zing.vn)

Regarding the concerns of Tran Trong An's parents and the concern of society about the above issue, Mr. Bui Van Linh, Deputy Head of the Department of Student Affairs (Ministry of Education and Training) said:

The contest was judged by scientists.

The online contest “Conquering the Universe” is a comprehensive knowledge contest for high school students organized by the Central Committee of the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union since the 2014-2015 school year. Based on the effectiveness of the contest for middle school students, at the proposal of the Central Committee of the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union, after research, the Ministry of Education and Training agreed to coordinate with this unit to organize the contest for the second time (2015-2016 school year) and the third time (2016-2017 school year).

In the first two times, the contest was held for secondary school students nationwide. The third time, in the 2016-2017 school year, the contest expanded to include students in grades 3-5. The contest questions included:

Knowledge of cultural subjects: accounts for 30% of total questions (including Literature, Math, English, Physics, Chemistry, Biology...).

Social knowledge accounts for: 30% of total questions (fields: History, Geography, Music, Sports, IQ...)

Social life knowledge: accounts for 40% of total questions (understanding about society, knowledge of moral education, lifestyle, culture, nurturing revolutionary ideals...).

The contest is organized to create a healthy and useful playground, develop creative thinking for children; raise awareness of the ability to effectively exploit the internet for study, entertainment and training, help children stay away from harmful and violent online games that have negative effects on teenagers and children.

The contest provides necessary and useful knowledge to students, thereby forming the habit of proactively learning and accessing knowledge through the information technology platform. The contest is organized in a lively, friendly, fun and safe way; helping students grasp knowledge about culture, society and life skills. In addition, the contest also contributes to improving the effectiveness of moral education, cultural lifestyle, personality improvement, and fostering revolutionary ideals for the young generation.

The content of the questions, answers and organization of the contest have been developed and evaluated by prestigious scientists and educators.

With the above content and format, the contest has met the needs of exploration, creativity, knowledge addition, and improved understanding of national history, society, life skills, etc. for students. Specifically:Firstly, the competition combines learning and entertainment. When students participate in the Conquering the Universe contest, parents can rest assured that their children are learning and entertaining in a safe and healthy environment. The knowledge is mentioned and integrated creatively to help students absorb knowledge naturally, without pressure.

Second, the knowledge system in the contest is very rich and standard. The contest "Conquering the Universe" with the challenge of 63 questions covers a wide range of knowledge, spanning many subjects and many areas of life, society... The knowledge content in the contest is built according to standards with the advice of many educational experts from Hanoi National University of Education.

Third, students can participate in the competition anytime, anywhere, on many devices: "Conquering the Universe" is developed on multiple platforms on computers, smartphones and tablets, helping students to participate in entertainment and learning anytime, anywhere with friends.

Not only that, with the application of the internet, the contest also creates conditions for many students in remote areas, where learning conditions are difficult, to have the opportunity to access an advanced and useful learning model. Parents can log in to follow and monitor the content of the contest.

Mr. Bui Van Linh, Deputy Director of Student Affairs Department (Ministry of Education and Training)

There is no fee for students participating in the competition.

First of all, I would like to confirm the view of the Ministry of Education and Training to the Central Youth Union - the organizer of the contest - that students participating in the "Conquering the Universe" contest do not have to pay any fees for participating in the contest. This is a completely free contest for students and must create the most favorable conditions for students to participate, without affecting their learning process.

In coordination with the Central Committee of the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union to organize the contest, the Ministry of Education and Training has sent staff to participate as members of the Organizing Committee of the contest. In carrying out the assigned tasks of the Organizing Committee of the contest, the Ministry has issued the above document to direct the Departments of Education and Training to coordinate with the Provincial/City Youth Union to create conditions, encourage and motivate students to participate in the contest "Conquering the Universe".

It can be affirmed that “Conquering the Universe” is a comprehensive knowledge contest for students like some other online contests. The interface and content of the contest questions are designed to suit the psychology of students, easy to understand and easy to operate; participation in the contest is completely voluntary for students; schools must not affect the learning process of students.

According to VOV