Why warn and force more than 1,000 students to drop out of school?

Tay Nguyen University has just announced the list of students expected to be forced to leave school and warned of 1,041 students from 8 faculties, of which 414 students are subject to forced to leave school and 627 students are warned about their academic results in the second semester of the 2014-2015 school year.

The public was quite surprised by the large number of students forced to drop out of school, but according to responsible officials of Tay Nguyen University, this is a normal thing in the process of training, screening, and improving the learning quality of the school's students.

Follow the rules

Speaking with Thanh Nien Newspaper reporters, Mr. Truong Hai, Deputy Head of the Training Department of Tay Nguyen University, stated that the plan to force the above students to drop out of school and give warnings is completely in line with the regulations of the Ministry of Education and Training, specifically Decision No. 43/2007/QD-BGDDT dated August 15, 2007 of the Ministry of Education and Training promulgating the Regulations on regular university and college training according to the credit system (commonly known as Regulation 43).

Mr. Hai cited some important points of Article 16 (Forced to leave school) of Regulation 43, according to which "After each semester, students are forced to leave school if they fall into one of the following cases: a, Having an average semester score of less than 0.80 for the first semester of the course; less than 1.00 for the following semesters or less than 1.10 for 2 consecutive semesters. b, Having an average cumulative score of less than 1.20 for first-year students; less than 1.40 for second-year students; less than 1.60 for third-year students or less than 1.80 for students in the following years and at the end of the course".

Tay Nguyen University students during a meeting and exchange with US Ambassador to Vietnam Ted Osius in September 2015 - Photo: Ngoc Quyen.

According to Mr. Hai, although the students who were warned above all violated points a and b mentioned above (subject to being forced to leave school), the school has only "taken action" at the warning level, even warning for the second or third time, because it wants to give more opportunities for students to correct their mistakes and continue studying.

Regarding the 414 students expected to be forced to leave school this time, Mr. Hai said that the school has asked the faculties to work with the students (through academic advisors) to get their opinions, wishes, plans, and solutions through individual applications. After a 10-day notice period (the notice date is October 26), if the students do not respond, the school will issue an official decision to force them to leave school. "This is also a humane way of doing things because even though the students violated the regulations, they submitted an application stating the circumstances of the violation, their wishes, clear motivations for studying, and solutions to overcome the situation, the school will consider allowing them to continue studying," Mr. Hai said.

Motivation to learn is important

Students' motivation to study largely affects their learning outcomes; without motivation to study, students will study poorly, fail to meet the required scores, or drop out of school on their own, leading to being forced to leave school or being warned. That is the assessment of Mr. Pham Trong Luong, Head of the Department of Political Affairs and Student Affairs of Tay Nguyen University.

“I am in charge of student affairs but also a lecturer in sociology. Through several surveys on student psychology, I found that many students have very vague motivations for studying. Many students go to university just to satisfy their parents’ wishes, or to “make a name” with friends and neighbors… Studying to be successful and equipping themselves with knowledge for their future careers are almost not given much attention, so their academic results are very poor,” Mr. Luong explained.

According to Mr. Luong, many factors affecting life and activities also negatively affect the learning outcomes of a number of students. Many students spend their time socializing on social networks, playing video games, or drinking, having romantic relationships, etc.

Mr. Luong said that in the coming time, the Department of Political Affairs and Student Affairs plans to further strengthen educational work, have activities to promote the learning spirit of students; especially, there will be regular exchanges between the school and students' families.

“We will increase the application of information technology in communication between the school and students’ families, notify students of their academic results and absences, and help parents access the school’s website to keep track of their children’s academic situation so that they can promptly correct any violations,” Mr. Luong shared.

According to ThanhnienOnline