VietNamNet Bridge – MOET has organized classes to teach life skills at general schools, a move that has been applauded by the public.

Learning life skills

Vietnamese students lack living skills

Analysts have pointed out to the weaknesses of today’s students. Alarm bells have rung over the increasingly high number of juvenile delinquents. In many murder cases, students were the perpetrators and their classmates and teachers were the victims.

Warnings have also proliferated about the increasingly high number of drug, alcohol and cigarette addicts. Many students have committed suicide when they faced serious problems.

All of this has been blamed on the lack of young people’s life skills. Critics say they are not taught life skills in school. Therefore, students do not know how to face personal difficulties, such as divorce or study problems, and they do not know the value of life.

Students of general schools have one hour a week to talk with teachers and classmates about learning and other things. One hour is not enough for them to learn skills needed in their life.

Hoang Tung, a 11^th grade student of Truong Dinh High School, explained that in the assigned hour, teachers only cover material for those who were absent or those who violated school regulations. Teachers never have enough time to get to understand more about students and their living conditions.

Standard curriculum needed

Centers that teach life skills have been set up due to the high demand from students and parents. Le Duan School, ABS Training and Eveil Skids Club have become well-known.

The centers train young people of different ages, even three year old children. The tuitions are different, depending on the curriculum.

ABS Training Center in Hanoi teaches students how to introduce themselves and their families before crowds and to talk about their difficulties with parents and relatives.

“We teach them to communicate in front of an audience and to protect themselves,” stated Tran Boi Lan from ABS Training.

The centers are teaching students in different ways, depending on the qualification of the teachers, because there is no standardized curriculum to follow.

Dr Tran Van Dan from Hanoi Medical University, observed that it might be a bit late to discuss life skills with young people, but “better late than never.”

Dan also asserted that it will be necessary to build up basic curriculum for teachers and students from the first through twelfth grades.

Since 2001, under a UNICEF-funded project, MOET has sponsored life skills courses in the general schools of places like Hanoi, HCM City, Lao Cai, Hai Phong and An Giang.

VietNamNet/VnMedia