In his whole life, President Ho Chi Minh gave great sentiments to youngsters and children. He had a strong belief that the young generation is the major force for the national construction and defence.
Fifty years after his passing away, Vietnamese children and young people always remember his teachings and apply them into their life and study. To explore how history and knowledge of the late leader are integrated into the main and extracurricula, reporters from VietnamPlus had quick interviews with children and history teachers.
President Ho Chi Minh stays in the hearts of youngsters
In the curriculum designed by the Ministry of Education and Training, from the pre-school level, children learn about President Ho Chi Minh through images and stories of the late leader. The knowledge is expanded and advanced through higher levels. Therefore, the majority of asked students said that they know who Uncle Ho is and remember five teachings of the late leader.
“I remember five teachings of Uncle Ho and have applied them into my life. For example, following his teachings, I am honest in exams. But I have yet to get a chance to test my bravery. Although my study performance is not very good, I have set high targets and I am trying to achieve them. I have been neat, but I am not yet very good at working,” Khanh Nguyen, 14, from Hong Ha street of Hanoi said.
Meanwhile, Nguyen Phuong Linh from Ba Dinh, Hanoi said: “Uncle Ho hoped that we would be studious to bring Vietnam to the same level as those around the world. The late leader’s teachings have helped me a lot in making decisions and take actions, keeping me modest, honest and brave.”
The latest information from the Ministry of Education and Training shows that the fourth subjectfor the high-school entrance exam is history. On May 8, the ninth graders at Nguyen Tri Phuong High School sat for a trial test of the subject.
Students of Nguyen Tri Phuong High School are excited at an extracurricular class on Uncle Ho
Vu Viet Anh from 9A3 Class of Nguyen Tri Phuong High School said that he answered the majority of the questions of the test.
“To my knowledge, Uncle Ho paid great attention to children and young people of Vietnam. He held that the youth is the future of the country. In his five teachings, the first one is to love the nation and fellow people. The simplest love of each person is the love for their nation and people. The second thing Uncle Ho taught us is studying and working well. Of course, the major task of students is to study and overcome exams. Other things are also important, such as keeping sanitation to protect our health.”
Viet Anh always remembers Uncle Ho’s teachings to maintain hard working, thrift, integrity, and honesty. He held that these are the major characteristics that all persons must practice and follow President Ho Chi Minh.
Along with the five teachings, Viet Anh also remembers that Uncle Ho advised people to keep hard working, thrift, integrity, and honesty. Although this is what Uncle Ho suggested for officials, Viet Anhsaid that it is good for all people as the characteristics must exist in all persons following President Ho Chi Minh’s example.
“As a person admiring and loving Uncle Ho, I have always tried my best in studying and following Uncle Ho’s teachings. I wake up early in the morning for physical exercise to be strong to serve future national construction, while studying hard as this is the only way to success and become a useful citizen for the society and nation,” said Viet Anh.
Lively lessons of Uncle Ho
Right from the pre-schoolto primary level, children and their teachers explore and implement the five teachings of Uncle Ho. The children listen to and discuss stories on Uncle Ho’s sentiments towards kids.
In secondary schools, the students will get deeper understanding of the personality of Uncle Ho and his revolutionary activities, especially during the 8th and 9thgrades.
Commenting on contents of President Ho Chi Minh in the textbook, Vu My Le, a teacher from ThanhXuan district, said that as information stated in the textbook is not interesting, teachers often applied various methods to make the late leader closer to students.
How to give students more excitement through the whole lesson is an issue that teachers should spend their efforts and serious time investment on.
“For example, the school will coordinate with the Youth Union and Children’s Union to seek discussion topics for each month or week, focusing on the studying and following of President Ho Chi Minh’s moral example. For topics related to physical training, teachers will take Uncle Ho as a mirror. In break between classes, the school will give children short physical exercise in response to Uncle Ho’s advice.”
Through each history lessons on President Ho Chi Minh, My Le and her co-workers realize the love that the students give to the late leader and their excitement in exploring the life and career of Uncle Ho.
How to give students more excitement through the whole lesson is an issue that teachers should spend their efforts and serious time investment on.
“We will assign homework for students to ask them find out information of President Ho Chi Minh’s process of seeking ways to save the country in different periods. Depending on capacity and interest of each student, they can draw a picture on the topic or collect images of Uncle Ho in a particular period, or they can also make a video clip. The preparations will help them deliver presentations and give comments or discuss the topic more effectively. Under the guideline of teachers, the students will get a better approach to what they study, thus developing their sentiments towards Uncle Ho and feel grateful for what he did for the nation,” stated Le.
In order to make lessons more interesting, many teachers also search for documentary films, prepare visual tools for their lessons and assign students to collect documents before each lesson. Not only in school, students can join extracurricular sessions to explore the mirror of President Ho Chi Minh.
Not only in school, students can join extracurricular sessions to explore the mirror of President Ho Chi Minh.
“Generally, the lessons on communist Nguyen Ai Quoc have drawn more interest of students thaninformation related to policies and guidelines for each revolutionary campaign. Stories about Uncle Ho are attractive for students while learning the Vietnamese history. We will bring the students to the Ho Chi Minh Museum to find out historical stories through the exhibits or the media. These information channels will inspire their curiosity and passion for exploring the national history, helping them understand the lessons better,” said Ngo ThiLanAnh, a history teacher in Nguyen Tri Phuong Primary School.
Anh held that in order to make the lessons more interesting, it is necessary to bring the students to historical sites. But in reality, due to limited financial support, the school has yet to organize many trips but those to museums and historical relic sites inside Hanoi, she said./.