The National Assembly approved History as a compulsory subject.

"The National Assembly has also reflected the position and aspirations of a wide range of people, not only history teachers but also many students, veterans, and especially the elderly, those who previously knew nothing about the internet," said Associate Professor Vu Quang Hien.

According to Associate Professor Vu Quang Hien, even in the area where his family lives, during meetings of the Party branch and neighborhood committee, many people have expressed opinions about History being an integrated subject.

Commenting on the National Assembly's directive to make History a compulsory subject in the new general education curriculum, Associate Professor Vu Quang Hien believes that the Ministry of Education and Training will certainly have to adjust the draft in the near future.

While all subjects are important, History has unique characteristics, which manifest in two aspects: firstly, the subject itself is highly integrated; secondly, it provides a foundation of knowledge about the national culture and contributes to the development of Vietnamese people.

Therefore, there is no substitute for it; if it is divided and its unity is lost, the consequences will be unpredictable.

"With this directive, the Ministry of Education and Training will certainly have to change; it cannot do otherwise. If the Ministry does otherwise, it will undoubtedly face further public backlash. And the National Assembly has recognized this. Therefore, this decision also represents the people, and it is a decision that must be respected," Associate Professor Vu Quang Hien affirmed.

Elementary school students are often interested in history stories.

As a history teacher at the high school level, Mr. Tran Trung Hieu (Phan Boi Chau Specialized High School, Nghe An) said that when he learned that the National Assembly proposed making history a compulsory subject, he breathed a sigh of relief. For more than two months, he and his colleagues had been sleepless and worried about the issue of integrating history into other subjects.

Perhaps recognizing the efforts of teacher Tran Trung Hieu in fighting to protect the position of History as a compulsory subject in the new curriculum draft, when the National Assembly's resolution still proposed History as a compulsory subject in the high school curriculum, historian Duong Trung Quoc was the first to call and inform teacher Hieu.

"I think I contributed a small part to a very positive outcome, when the National Assembly decided that History would not be included in the integrated subjects. This is something to be appreciated. Today I have lost weight and feel exhausted because I spent so much time fighting, and at times I felt cornered by the Ministry of Education and Training's conservatism."

I keep telling history teachers that this is a fundamental and initial victory. The most important thing, my colleagues and I are waiting for, is the acceptance of the Ministry of Education and Training, and how the Ministry will handle this decision from the highest authority in the country. But I believe this is a turning point; what seemed insurmountable due to the Ministry's conservatism, the Minister now has to comply,” affirmed Mr. Tran Trung Hieu.

Deputy Minister of Education and Training Nguyen Vinh Hien: We must attach great importance to making history education less stressful and boring for students, as it is currently. Photo: Hai Nguyen

Previously, the draft of the overall general education curriculum received particular attention regarding the subject of History. According to this draft, at the primary school level, History is integrated into the Social Sciences subject as a compulsory subject, while at the lower secondary school level, this subject is differentiated again into elective subjects.

High school level will only have 4 compulsory subjects: Literature, Foreign Language 1, Mathematics, and Civics (integrated from three sub-disciplines: Moral Education, History, and National Defense and Security Education).

Following concerns raised by historians, on the afternoon of November 3rd, the Ministry of Education and Training held a meeting with the Vietnam Historical Science Association, representatives from the Central Propaganda Department, the Union of Science and Technology Associations, and other relevant units regarding the draft. At this meeting, opinions were expressed that they completely disagreed with the proposed integration of History at the high school level as outlined in the draft.

On November 15th, at a scientific conference on History, experts criticized the Ministry of Education and Training for "killing off the subject of History" in the new general education curriculum. Immediately afterwards, in response to questions from National Assembly representatives, Minister of Education and Training Pham Vu Luan stated that they would carefully consider the matter and would not integrate History as a subject if it was deemed unsuitable.

According to Vietnamese Education