VietNamNet Bridge – Kien Giang, Nghe An, Phu Yen, Bac Kan, Dien Bien, Quang Binh and Lam Dong all have reported a high percentage of drop-outs. Why don’t these students want to stay in school?

There has been a problem with drop-outs for many years, but the number has never been as high as this year.

Just several weeks after the start of the new academic year, many students in Na hamlet in Son Trach district in the central province of Quang Binh ended their studies. Teachers and local authorities came to their homes to persuade them to return to school but their efforts were in vain. They had decided they would rather stay at home and earn money by harvesting sua trees.

The price for sua trees is currently very high, sua are being hunted throughout the country. Chinese traders now buy sua wood at $80/kg and Vietnamese traders pay VND700,000 to VND1mil/kg ($43-62). The sua money is more attractive than school.

Even the Head and Deputy Head of Na hamlet have children who have dropped out. The Deputy Head of Na hamlet said: “They (the children) are now in 8^th grade, but they insist on giving up school to seek sua timber. I tried to persuade them but my efforts were of no use.”

In the southern province of Lam Dong, some 30% of students gave up school in 2006-2007 for coffee. As it has been selling for a good price over the last two years, young people decided to stay at home to help in production. It has become clear that students like earning money more than going to school.

Meanwhile, local education and training departments have blamed the high percentage of drop-outs on the ‘saying no to negativism in education’ campaigns.

According to Pham Huy Duc, Chief Secretariat of the Nghe An Education and Training Department, students give up because they are unable to move ahead with their education.

Many pupils that perform poorly have been asked to repeat their grade and instead decide to drop out.

Besides, many of the drop-outs in Nghe An were females of the H’mong ethnic minority who always finish after primary school and get married.

Nevertheless, experts said that local education and training departments should encourage a change in thinking.

In a meeting between the Minister of Education and Training Nguyen Thien Nhan and leaders of 64 local departments, Mr Nhan related that he once witnessed a child who liked sitting under the table in the class. When asked why she did this, she responded that she did not understand what was being taught and, therefore, she sat under the table to play.

In conclusion, Mr Nhan said that it was the fault of teachers who taught classes too difficultly for pupils to understand. The teachers were also at fault because they let the pupil pass through to the next grade every year. As students are put in classes exceeding their current ability they are not able to follow the curriculum and feel discouraged.

(Source: Dan tri)