Let's instill a passion for learning in our students!

Following the results of the high school graduation exams, the media and authors once again devoted countless pages to discussing the issue of education. Articles delved into the causes, exploring the problems stemming from specific subjects, the curriculum, management practices, and ethical aspects, all with the hope of finding a solution to save the nation's education system. In this article, as a parent and lecturer, I would like to address an aspect that few people discuss: Has today's school system fostered a desire and passion in students for the subjects in the curriculum?

From what I've seen and heard, the most obvious thing I see is that students today face immense pressure and burden from all sides. First and foremost, there's the obsession with academic achievement within schools, among parents, and partly among the students themselves. Next is the heavy workload of the curriculum. Looking at the amount of knowledge my children are carrying, I feel heartbroken and worried. But the heaviest burden is the pressure from exam results, because everything is judged through them: gifted student competitions, graduation exams, university entrance exams... And to achieve the results desired by the school, the family, and the students themselves, there's no other way than to prioritize certain subjects over others. This will be an inevitable rule of the past, present, and future.

So, how can we ensure that students excel in priority subjects while mastering the fundamental knowledge of non-priority subjects? Perhaps the only way is for teachers to instill in their students a passion and enthusiasm for the subjects they teach.

Based on my personal experience, during the period of 1977-1980, we were students specializing in Mathematics at Phan Boi Chau High School (then in Nghe An - Ha Tinh province). Clearly understanding the responsibility to achieve high results in provincial and national-level student competitions, we dedicated all our time outside of class to solving problems in Mathematics, Physics, and Chemistry.

However, we always looked forward to and eagerly awaited classes in Literature, History, Geography, and other subjects... because the teachers, with their passion and knowledge, gave us incredibly beneficial learning and "break" sessions. It's safe to say that almost all the most basic knowledge could be grasped during class, becoming a topic of constant discussion during breaks after solving difficult exercises.

Surprisingly, 27 years have passed, yet we have almost not forgotten many of the math, physics, and chemistry exercises, and we still retain quite a few lectures from our history and literature teachers... Some of us have written poetry (which may or may not have been published in newspapers), contributed to newspapers and magazines, and even become editors-in-chief of our respective journals...

All those achievements are thanks to the passion that our teachers have instilled in us!

Nguyen Van Long -(Provincial Party Committee's Religious Affairs Department)