‘Achievement disease’ is a phenomenon in which organizations, particularly schools, prioritize reporting positive achievements while neglecting or downplaying their problems and challenges. 

At schools, teachers try every possible way to improve students’ learning achievements, including fabricating students’ scores.

The Vietnam Institute of Educational Sciences held a seminar to discuss the current situation and solutions to help children grow up with a pressure-free childhood.

Associate Prof Nguyen Thi Hong Thuan, Director of the Center for Psychological and Educational Research, an arm of the Vietnam Institute of Educational Sciences, said in 2017, she and her coworkers conducted a study on the achievement obsession in education and found it to be a systemic issue.

The obsession with achievements is most pronounced at the management level, which then exerts pressure on schools. Schools, in their turn, pass this pressure onto teachers. 

Consequently, teachers have little choice but to transfer the burden onto students. Sometimes, teachers themselves may not even realize that fulfilling the demands from higher-ups causes students to bear the brunt of this pressure.

The pressure doesn’t solely come from the requirement on high academic results, but also unexpected things. 

"For instance, for some students, preparing all their school supplies before class can be stressful. They feel pressured because if the teacher checks and finds something missing, they’ll be punished or criticized. Some students even wake up in a panic from sleep, hurriedly checking their backpacks to ensure they haven’t forgotten anything," Thuan recalled.

In addition, parental expectations also put pressure on students and even their entire families. Parents often want their children to become "the most sparkling diamond," leading students to attend classes all week and participate in an overwhelming number of competitions.

Pham Thi Phuong Thuc, MA, from the Center for Psychological and Educational Research, pointed out that today’s students have a multitude of learning tasks, from subjects like Literature, Math, and Foreign Languages to extracurricular activities. Also, they’re expected to take piano lessons, art classes, and more.

To ensure their children can handle such a heavy load, parents often cut out activities that may lead to distractions, such as playing soccer or hanging out with friends. However, Thuc noted that this reduction itself becomes a source of pressure for children.

Putting pressure means violation of children’s rights

Sharing the same perspective, Ha Dinh Bon, Vice Chair of the Vietnam Association for the Protection of Children’s Rights, said that many parents require their children to achieve high grades, win championships, or become top competitors, negatively affecting their mental health. He believes that subjecting children to pressure, whether directly or indirectly, can be considered a violation of their rights.

To ease pressure on children and to allow them to remain carefree, live true to their childhood, and maximize their potential, Bon believes that parents need to understand how to assess their children’s abilities, talents and capacities. They should avoid chasing trends, harboring unrealistic ambitions, or abusing parental authority to force children to meet their own desires.

Ta Ngoc Tri, Deputy Director of the General Education Department, agreed, emphasizing that parents need to understand that making their children happy is the ultimate goal of education.

"Happiness doesn’t mean winning this or that award; it’s about unlocking each student’s potential and creativity," Tri said.

Besides parents, he believes that the education sector and society need to work together cohesively. For example, alongside celebrating high-achieving students, it would be better to recognize those who show progress in their studies.

The Ministry of Education and Training (MOET) has recently changed its evaluation approach, acknowledging individual student progress rather than comparing them to one another. "This serves as motivation to reduce pressure, fostering a healthy learning environment that helps students develop their qualities and competencies comprehensively," he explained.

Associate Prof Tran Thanh Nam, Vice Rector of the University of Education, offered a different view, arguing that pressure is an inevitable part of life. Thus, the key is to enhance children’s resilience to pressure.

"If we define pressure as inherently negative and try to eliminate it entirely, it will even create harder pressure. Instead, we should accept pressure as a natural occurrence and focus on building children’s capacity to handle it so they can develop holistically," Nam said.

He suggested that parents and schools should equip children with problem-solving skills, the ability to cope with failure and resilience. At the same time, parents should avoid praising the achievements of "other people’s kids" or constantly demanding that children learn lessons from their mistakes.

Thuy Nga