VietNamNet Bridge – The national science and technology contest
for high school students has come under fire from experts, who doubt the
scheme's ability to improve the quality of curricular subjects as the Ministry
of Education and Training (MoET) expected.
So far, schools in 30 provinces
and cities have responded to the annual competition, but many still consider
the contest an extracurricular activity.
Critics are concerned that the
contest would face a number of hurdles including poor teaching and learning
conditions.
Nguyen Thiet Son, principal of
the Ha Noi-based Kim Lien High School, said: "Schools' infrastructure and
laboratories are too sparse and cannot cater for projects requiring experiments
and practical tests."
"Moreover, funds to attract
support from scientists and participation from teachers and students are
limited. At some schools they are non-existent."
Meanwhile, director of the Thua
Thien-Hue Department of Education and Training Pham Van Hung said: "To
conduct scientific projects in high schools, we need co-operation from
universities, scientists and lecturers."
A teacher from the Ha
Noi-Amsterdam High School for the Gifted was quoted by Tuoi Tre (Youth)
newspaper as saying that only a small amount of students had joined the contest
but still met a number of obstacles. He added, what would happen if even more
students signed up?
Many other teachers were afraid
that the contest would descend into a race for achievements like the national
exam for gifted students.
Director of the MoET's High
School Education Department Vu Dinh Chuan said the contest aimed to improve and
renew teaching methods, while developing student capacity.
"By participating in the
contest, students gain opportunities to work in groups and learn from each
other. Teachers themselves will also become more active in self-researching to
offer guidance to their students," he said.
Chuan confirmed the contest would
be fair, as any form of cheating will be met with a strict punishment.
However, the department currently
did not have any plans to give financial support to schools implementing their
projects, he said.
Five years ago, Vietnamese high
school students were sent to the International Science and Engineering Fair
(ISEF) in the US for the first time through funding from an information
technology company. The company continued the practice for the next two years.
Since last year, MoET officially
selected students from five cities and provinces including Ha Noi, HCM City,
Hue, Lam Dong and Da Nang and took them to the fair.
The project to obtain freshwater
from seawater conducted by a group of three students from the Ha Noi-Amsterdam
High School for the Gifted won first prize in the electronic and mechanism
sector.
The national contest this year is
expected to take place in March. The winning project will be brought to the US
to join the ISEF in May.
Source: VNS
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