History subject, "If you like it, take it, if not, don't"

(Baonghean) - While the directive to "threaten" 207 university entrance exam codes has not yet subsided, public opinion has immediately been "lit up" by another story whose origin is still the Ministry of Education and Training. However, this problem is too big, a very sad and worrying consequence, which is the story of students openly turning their backs on the History exam!

The incident started when the Ministry announced the subjects for the high school graduation exam this year and History was “pushed” into the elective subjects. To put it bluntly, History was placed in the category of “if you like it, take it, if you don’t like it, then… forget it”! And its fate was “turned upside down” with an extremely cruel result, when Luong The Vinh School, a “huge” school located right in the middle of the capital, did not have a single student who “liked” History?

The fact that no student chooses History is a warning bell, a straw that breaks the camel’s back, a vivid proof of the gloomy picture of this important social science. It is not only the story of today, but also the price we are paying for yesterday, and that is also what we will have to bear tomorrow. It is very sad when students “turn their backs” on any subject, but the saddest, saddest thing is History!

The great significance of teaching and learning History has been proven by history itself, everyone knows, especially the Ministry of Education and Training! We are living on a land with thousands of years of heroic history. A brave and courageous nation, a Vietnam full of strength in building and defending the country. We have never been assimilated, never been defeated by any enemy. Why do we have such strength? That is the spirit of each Vietnamese child, which has been molded, formed, nurtured, and distilled from history itself.

General Vo Nguyen Giap once wrote: History not only equips the young generation with basic knowledge about the nation and the world, but also plays the most important role in educating patriotism, traditional and revolutionary values, contributing to building personality, human character, preserving national identity... Surely everyone still remembers, in 1942, in the midst of the busy work of preparing for the great revolution to liberate the nation, Uncle Ho still did not forget to spend time on history. Right at the beginning of the book "History of our country", at that time, he advised: "Our people must know our history/ To understand the origin of the Vietnamese nation...".

We are also preserving the huge historical records that our ancestors painstakingly recorded for posterity. The question is, why is it that the young generation of such a country does not know how to love or be proud of? History - the so-called "soft power" is considered a "secondary subject" or is the way we are teaching it too unstable? When will we change the mindset that good History students will remember all the events such as specific days, months, years, hours, minutes, how many people died, how many people were injured, how many planes were used, what kind of bombs... If we just cram all the things in the heads of "adults" to make students memorize, then ask if History is still "lovable"? Why is it that children do not know who Le Loi is? Where will the country go if its future owners can be very good at Math, can be very proficient in Foreign Languages, can be knowledgeable in Information Technology but are ignorant about the history of the land where they were born and raised?!

Also recently, less than a year ago, students of Nguyen Hien High School organized a "celebration" by tearing up the History syllabus, throwing it all over the school yard, and then filming it and posting it online, when they heard that this subject was "removed from the arena" of the graduation exam! Surely the Ministry has not forgotten this? At that time, there was an opinion that someone wanted to remove the History subject because they were afraid of "showing their backs" when for several years in a row the History scores were at a terrible level. This year is different, the ball was "turned" to the students. People whispered that "being too smart makes you stupid", the fact that students "said no to History" was a public "showing of their backs", and "showing their backs" was not pleasant at all!

Dealing with history is not only a matter of science, it is also a responsibility, a sacred mission placed on the shoulders of those working in education. It is time for us to have a real revolution in this field. Instead of the "jerky" management style, should there also be a historical decision in teaching History?!

Nguyen Khac An