History proposed as a compulsory subject in high schools | Education

Most members of the Culture and Education Committee disagreed with the idea of ​​making history an optional subject at secondary level for many reasons. First, history is a particularly important subject, playing a key role in the political and ideological education of the younger generation; educate in patriotism, national self-esteem, cultural and historical traditions; foster thinking skills and appropriate actions and behaviors in social life; thus forming the qualities of Vietnamese citizens in the development trend of the times.

Second, in terms of age, high school students, 15 to 17 years old, mature in consciousness and have a better capacity for receptivity to national history. It is also age that determines the formation of the worldview, the system of views on nature, society, the principles and rules of behavior, and the orientation of human values.

Third, history is still a compulsory subject in the high school curriculum in many countries around the world, such as the United States, France, Australia, Japan, and China.

Based on the arguments above, the NA Culture and Education Committee believes that history has a special place and importance in the general education curriculum. Students should be equipped with this knowledge. Therefore, the committee unanimously proposed to the Ministry of Education and Training to stipulate history as a compulsory subject in the 2018 general education curriculum with an appropriate volume of knowledge. The subject includes historical knowledge (compulsory) and career-oriented knowledge (optional).

By Phan Thao – Translated by Bao Nghi