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Vietnamese high school students will have to take four subjects in order to graduate, a decision which some say will strike a death blow to the subject of history.

According to the Ministry of Education and Training (MoET)’s new regulation, high school students will have to take two compulsory subjects in maths and literature, and be allowed to choose the two others by themselves.

Professor Van Nhu Cuong, Headmaster of Luong The Vinh High School in Hanoi, has just reported that no student in his school chose history for the 2014 graduation exams, which was shocking news to many.

A majority of students took physics, English and chemistry, but none took history, he said.

Professor Cuong said that the students did not opt out of history not because they were bad at this subject and that in previous years students got above average grades in history.

According to many teachers, it is understandable for students not to select history for the requirements of the graduation exam. Among the other subjects, history is seen as the most difficult and requires the most memorisation.

Currently, most of students choose subjects pertaining to the natural sciences and foreign languages in order to qualify for university. History, geography and literature are often ignored. Still, Cuong worried that the MoET’s regulations would be an attack on history.

Professor Cuong has posted on his Facebook account on the subject and received many comments.

One user said, “It is boring to study history in the way it is taught. Students are made to read and write down information during the lectures. When sitting on exam rooms we copy from prepared notes. Not many students find it interesting.”

A history teacher from Thai Binh Province said that the majority of students in his school chose subjects in the natural sciences and foreign languages for their university exams, neglecting history. He often finds it difficult to encourage students.