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Students' indifference to literature concerns educators

Update 27/03/2013 - 07:43:59 AM (GMT+7)

While many students show little interest in studying literature, educators have shown a discouragement and a lack of creativity in teaching the subject.

Many high schools in Hanoi teach the subject with dry lectures that bore students, many of whom do not bother to take notes, some even using it as nap time.

 Phuong Anh, a grade 12th student specialising in mathematics at Nguyen Hue School for Gifted Students in Hanoi, said, “I was quite interested in literature when I was a secondary school student, but I started to pay less attention in high school. I’m too busy with subjects that will help me get a good score on my university entrance exam."

 Even many students who specialise in the humanities show a lack of interest in literature, saying that the only reason they study it is to prepare for their exams.

 Dr. Trinh Thu Tuyet, who teaches literature at Chu Van An High School in Hanoi, said, “The recent increase in the number of student essays with strange and improper content proves their lack of understanding of the subject."

 Nguyen Thi Ninh, a teacher of literature at Hanoi – Amsterdam High School, said that more and more students tend to dislike literature, especially in comparison with people from previous generations.

 “Around 30% or 40% of writings currently used for teaching fail to speak to the situations faced by students in their daily lives, making the subject seem boring out of touch. Most students prefer to talk about current issues rather than literature," Ninh said.

 Even though literature is an important subject, educators in Vietnam are still struggling to find a solution in teaching methodology so as to make it more attractive to students.