VietNamNet Bridge – With puzzlement and regret, Luu Gia Han, a sixth grader at Bach Dang Junior Secondary School in HCM City, wrote to the school's counselling office hoping to receive assistance from the school counsellor.

She told the counsellor she had lied about her literature score and was afraid her mother would find out the truth.

After reading Han's letter, school principal Pham Thi Hue called Han and advised her to write a similar letter to her mother.

A few days later, when she asked Han about the outcome, the girl said her mother had replied by letter saying she forgave Han because she was honest enough to admit her fault.

Hue said while this was a minor problem, minor issues that are left unresolved could accumulate and negatively affect students' academic performance if not resolved in a timely fashion.

This demonstrated the need for more guidance to be provided to young students.

Han was one of a lucky few whose school had a counsellor she could turn to. Many schools don't.

Nguyen Thi Phuong Chi, a 10th grader, said that she does not dare to share her learning or relationship problems with her parents or teachers.

Like Chi, Nguyen Thi Phuong Trang, a twelfth grader, said she was worried about choosing a university and a career to suit her skills and personality.

If her school had a counselling room, she could go there to ask for advice, Trang said, adding that her classmates were also worried about effective learning methods, issues with friends and teachers, intimate relations and sex.

Vo Thi Tuong Vy, a psychology lecturer at HCM City Pedagogy University, said demand for sharing experiences, having someone to talk to about their problems and receiving advice, was very high among students in the city.

According to recent statistics compiled by a group of 600 students at Quang Binh High School for the Gifted, 95 per cent of students at the school said they needed help from a psychologist.

These figures are backed up by a study from HCM City Pedagogy University which showed that 96 per cent of the 317 students surveyed at city secondary schools, had insecurity issues.

Despite these findings, the number of schools that had counselling rooms was very low and failed to meet student demand.

Tran Khac Huy from the Education and Training Department refuted these claims, maintaining that two-thirds of high schools had counselling rooms.

Pressure

This is a good model that helps students deal with insecurity and pressure in learning and life.

Mai Thanh Binh, vice principal of Le Loi Secondary School, said apart from helping students, counsellors assisted parents and teachers too by shedding light on the students' social relations.

Hue said her school's counsellor often contacted students' parents to talk about their childrens' problems.

Nguyen Thi My Linh, a counsellor from Phung Hung Primary School, said counsellors should exercise discretion and be patient with students.

Another school counsellor, Nguyen Thi Tuyet Xuan, said she often received email or messages from students late at night and met with students for hours to discuss their problems.

It is the responsibility of school management boards to invest more in counselling rooms, she added.

VietNamNet/Viet Nam News

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