VietNamNet Bridge - General schools in big cities have been integrating extracurricular activities into their training programs to help students become more self-reliant and dynamic.

Tran Thi Hoa was 20 minutes for work yesterday morning. When she was about to leave home for work, her son, a seventh grader, said to her that his uniform shirt had a button missing and the button needed to be fixed prior to 12 pm when the boy had to go to school. 

Hoa then had to spend time to sew the button for the boy and could only leave for work after she finished sewing.

A high school teacher in Hanoi, after hearing the story, said this is not a surprise to him at all.

“This is the problem that many families in Hanoi are facing,” he said.

“I can say for sure that many urban children cannot do simple work such as sweeping the floor and doing the cooking,” he said. “This is because these works are undertaken by housemaids.”

The teacher said many children nowadays live in “the lap of luxury” and they do not have to do any housework. Their only duty is going to school and private tutoring classes.

Experts have repeatedly warned about the quality of general education given to students in large cities. Wearing short-sighted glasses, lacking life skills and being sluggish in outdoors activities are the most common traits of urban students, who have to spend most of their time studying and preparing for examinations.

Nguyen Thanh Phat, headmaster of Nguyen Van To Secondary School, said one day, during the break, he saw a sixth grader standing at the school entrance door and opening his mouth, expecting steamed glutinous rice spoons from his mother. 

Phat also saw his students sitting motionless during lunch time, and they only began eating when someone brought food to them.

New regulations have been set up under which students have to queue for food during lunch time. They also have to take away dishes when they finish eating and classify the waste.

Phat also decided to organize more extracurricular hours for students to practice necessary activities. 

Students have the chance to work at street rice shops where they distribute free food to the poor. They are encouraged to take trips to remote areas from which they can learn how to cook, and how to team up with friends to overcome difficulties. 

Do Duc Anh, a teacher at Bui Thi Xuan High School, agreed that it is necessary to enhance the teaching of life skills to students. She noted that practice can provide much more knowledge than textbooks and lessons at schools.

NLD