VietNamNet Bridge – General school students have been indisposed to follow
apprentice training, because they cannot see the benefits from the lessons.
The Ministry of Education and Training (MOET) believes that students not only
need academic lessons to have disciplinary knowledge, but also apprentice
training in order to have practice skills. However, the apprentice training at
school does not have much significance for students.
Attending apprentice training because schools tell to do that
In principle, apprentice training is optional for general school students.
However, nearly 100 percent of students register to attend apprentice lessons.
When asked about the reason to attend the lessons, most of the students said the
teachers told them to do that. Meanwhile, some others said if they attend the
lessons, they would get “bonus marks” which would be counted on when considering
their final exam results. If they don’t get the required marks from the national
finals to be able to graduate high school, the “bonus marks” would “rescue”
them.
However, to the majority of students, the certificate on attending apprentice
training does not have much significance. Finals are not too difficult for the
students with average learning capability. About 90 percent of high schools
reportedly pass the finals every year.
A teacher, who asked to be not named, said the students with good learning
capability won’t register to attend apprentice lessons if they are not told to
do that, because the students strive to continue higher education after
finishing high school, while they don’t intend to go to vocational schools.
Schools tend to force their students to go to apprentice training just because
of the so called “achievement disease.” If schools have high numbers of students
following the training, they would be commented by the education departments.
The higher percentage of students attending apprentice training also means the
higher percentage of students who can graduate high school.
Under the current regulation, students can decide if they are apprentice to
either electrician, informatics officers, tailor or cook. However, in fact,
schools said they don’t have necessary conditions to strictly follow the
regulation.
Deputy Headmaster of the Quang Trung High School in Dong Da district in Hanoi–
Doan Hanh, has confirmed that though this is an optional training, the school
requests 100 percent of its 11th graders to follow apprentice lessons.
A big waste of time and money
Students keep indifferent to apprentice lessons partially because the cursory
knowledge they receive from the lessons is not enough to help them become
proficient in their works. The only thing students can receive after attending
the training courses is the certificate on their attendance.
A 9th grader, who was apprenticed to electrician when he was an 8th grader,
could not give the answer when he was asked about parallel circuit. An 11th
grader could not fulfill an embroidery exercise, though she said she had been
practicing embroidery for the last few years.
Educators say it’s a big waste of time and money for schools to organize
apprentice training courses and for students to arrange their time to attend the
lessons. Meanwhile, the training does not help the students in their future
lives.
They have warned that once MOET removes the “bonus mark” mechanism, no student
would attend the training, because they cannot see any benefits from the
lessons.
Le Anh Viet