Topic 1: Education

For a country to develop, it is necessary to have a powerful economy, stable politics, and a good
education system. Education is seen in many countries as the number one priority. In fact, without
education, no country can expand.

The Importance of Education

Education gives young people a chance to widen their horizons. When people go to school, they
learn all kinds of knowledge and enhance their skills. Students get to understand how the earth moves,
how gravity pulls everything down, how fast light travels, and ultimately how the world works. Primary
school children are taught how to behave, and how to do basic math. They also learn about the
importance of respecting older people. Moving onto secondary school, students start to explore
different subjects; they also learn geography, biology and history in order have a thorough
understanding of how life develops and distributes. Most students around the world have a chance to
learn another language or two: Vietnamese students may learn English or French in their school
program. Once students finish secondary education, they will generally move on to high school.
However, in high school, students are required to perform much better. They have to brush up on their
reasoning in order to solve difficult scientific problems. They need to better their reading so that they
can effectively read thick books on history and the like. They also have to do more homework so as to
review previous lessons and also to prepare for coming classes. In fact, students have to burn the candle
at both ends. Upon high school graduation, they can choose to either pursue university or to find a job.
If they keep on studying, they will pick a major and spend the next three to four years working days and
nights until they obtain their college degrees. After this level, people may decide to enter post –
graduate education in order to get a Master’s degree or a PhD degree in a particular field. All this
learning assists a person in boosting his or her knowledge of the world around.

Attending classes also gives students a chance to improve their skills. While students learn, they
have to make use of different soft skills, like discussion, debating, communication, teamwork, etc. In
groups, they definitely have to think up new ideas and find a good way to present these thoughts to
their group members; they also need to learn how to argue in a polite way. When students do projects,
creativity is most needed so that they can come up with new ideas or solutions. When students have to
stand in front of class and talk about what they did in their team, this helps to enhance their public
speaking. Working on assignments allow students to practice time management and critical thinking.
Indeed, all these skills are extremely necessary not only for their school work, but also for their future
jobs.

When citizens are well educated, this is a firm foundation for a country to develop. In a country
where most workers are lowly – educated, it is hard for the economy to grow. Basically, skilled workers
are considerably more productive compared to unskilled employees. Without access to schools, people
will lose their chances to prepare for future work regarding both knowledge and skills. Without
knowledge, a person cannot work effectively: he will not be able to solve problems easily, or deal with
unexpected circumstances; without skills, he will not be able to solve problems easily, or deal with
unexpected circumstances; without skills, he will not be able to get on well and effectively with
teammates, or to use his own reasoning either. In addition, agriculture cannot help a country to
develop, but industry, tourism and other services do. In Vietnam, for example, since too many students
do not have the chance to go to school, and many have to drop out because of financial issues,
agriculture still contributes the largest proportion of the economy. However, agricultural practices here
are mainly manual; that is, almost everything is done by hand, while most agricultural work in, say, the
USA is done by automated machines. Tourists to Vietnamese countryside will be able to see a large
number of farmers going to work in the field very early in the morning, and returning home very late in
the evening. Hard – working as these people might be, their productivity is low, so is their product
quality. For this reason, Vietnam’s agriculture and economy are developing, but at snail’s speed.
However, if industry and other fields develop, the economy will be boosted to considerable extents.
When there is more industry, people will need to work less, but more productively. Machines will play
an essential role, and people are only needed to operate and maintain machinery.

Education also bridges the gap between rich and poor people, as well as wealthy and developing
nations. When people of all back – grounds can access education, they have equal opportunities to
enlarge their knowledge and ensure a higher chance of employment. In the past, only well – off families
could afford school fees for their children, as the fees were mostly beyond the average person’s
financial ability. Those with lower income could send their children to only some levels of education, and
more often than not they would have to drop out of school after some time.In Vietnam and numerous
other Asian countries, the past was a tough time for the majority of citizens since they were poor
peasants who had to work from dawn till dusk in order to make ends meet. To them, schools were a
luxury. On a larger scale, education helps to reduce the gap between countries.It is understandable that
in rich countries, education is accessible to almost all children: they get to experience high quality
teaching and training, and have a higher chance of future employment. If kids in poorer nation have the
same right, they will also have the opportunity to brighten their future. In fact, more children in Vietnam
in recent years can go to school, which has led to a huge improvement of the nation: the educational
system has produced more academics, scholars, scientists, and well – trained workers, as well as college
graduates working in industry, agriculture, tourism, and services or education. All these people who
could access education can make enormous contributions to the country in the long term.

Education also prepares people for social life. Definitely, students pick up from school all kinds of
knowledge which they can apply in various areas in life, whether that is social interaction or solving life
problems. Moreover, lessons from the classroom prepare students for cultural exchange. Once students
have developed a thorough understanding on different cultural values, traditions and customs of other
countries, it will be easier for them to mix in with local people if they happen to study overseas, or to
settle down in another country. In this flat world, education turn students into international citizens; in
other words, they have ability to communicate with fellows from various cultures without any risk of
misunderstanding. In is a fact that people from Vietnam, India and the USA communicate in very
different ways, which can easily result in miscommunicate in very different ways, which can easily result
im miscommunication and offense. There have been cases where American people are offended by the
misbehavior of Vietnamese citizen, the best example of which is the way people take turns in a
conversations may get messy, while the Vietnamese prefer to wait until the other person has finished
before starting to talk. When a Vietnamese does not respond to an American, this can be considered a
sign of disrespect by the US citizen. Education, fortunately, can brace people up for all such future
cultural exchanges.

In addition, education develops people both mentally and physically. Going to school, students learn
how to think logically and make informed arguments. They will learn how to avoid making silly
assumptions and how to voice their opinions in a convincing way. They also learn how to make a
reasonable plan, to mange their time, to conduct a project, or to do an experiment. All of these activities
contribute to the growth of students’ minds. Physical education (PE), on the other hand, keeps students
fit and healthy. PE is an essential part of any education program. Apart from academic subjects, learners
are required to take part in PE training so that their bodies and minds develop in harmony. As the saying
goes, a healthy mind is in a healthy body, PE prevents students from becoming lazy bookworms, helping
them to grow into both mentally and physically active citizens. A lot of schools do not put enough
emphasis on PE, and for this reason their students tend to be weak and fragile. Obviously, in times of
sickness no one can focus on learning. More importantly, it is truly necessary in this day and age for
young citizens to be physically healthful so that they can mix in easily with international friends. It would
be askward for a tiny little Vietnamese businessman to stand in line with their well – built partners from
the West.

Why people study

It goes without saying that people study to enrich their knowledge. In primary, secondary and high
school education, students learn the basic understanding of the world and the most fundamental skills
so as to best prepare for future work. In undergraduate education, students acquire information in a
specialized major. In post – graduate education, students explore, in even more details, the area they
focused on in college, or a new area. Basically, all people turn to education for knowledge and wisdom.

However, not all people go to school because of this desire. Some want qualifications and
experience; some wish to please their parents, and some even to kill the time.

People may sign up for a course of study in order to obtain a degree or certificate. In a large number
of countries, having a degree is the vital factor in a job hunt. With a better degree, it is easier for a
person to be admitted into a company, which is especially true in various Asian cultures. In Vietnam, this
is still the case for civil servants: if a person wants to become a teacher, he or she needs to have an
undergraduate degree in teaching; if they want to become a university lecturer, they need to have at
least an MA. In other fields, having a degree is also important: a lot of companies will give priority to
those with outstanding qualifications, and will ignore anyone empty – handed. This, however, creates a
huge disadvantage for people who do not have access to education, or who do not have sufficient
finance to continue their study. Certainly, being trained in formal education is a sign of working
competence, but not owing a degree does not indicate the opposite. There have been numerous cases
where people who do not have qualifications can still perform excellently at work and even climb the
management ladder. Nonetheless, as degrees are generally a rule of thumb, people rush to attain them.

In many countries, a huge number of young people go to school merely to satisfy their parents’
wish. It is undeniable that going to school is a beneficial choice, but sometimes school – goers cannot
choose what to pursue, but have to follow their parents’ orders. In China, many parents force their
children to go to Olympics training institutions with the hope of them making a name for themselves as
Olympics athletes. This sounds like a promising future, as being an athlete can bring both fame and
finance. However, in these places children are mistreated and forced to bend their muscles in the most
difficult ways. Many of them train in tears as they cannot bear the pain. In Vietnam, the situation is a
just little less severe. It is popular that students go to college to become doctors, engineers, or CEOs
simply out of their parents’ desire. Many have to give up their dreams of becoming dedicated teachers,
world – famous artists, or professional tour guides owing to parental pressure.

Some people sign up for a short – term course (at times even long – term) because they have a
certain amount of free time to waste. Many high school graduates in Vietnam go to college for a year or
so while waiting for their departure to an overseas prestigious school. During this time, they do not
focus on learning, and even show the least care care about their study. After all, time is whiled away in
the most wasteful manner. For some, it is even worse: they spend years waiting in confidence since a
family relation from, say, the USA has promised to sponsor their study there; thus, for all this time they
will still come to class, but simply for the sake of attendance check. These students strongly believe and
claim that they will learn hard when they have already moved overseas. If this goes as planned, their
future is settled and bright. However paperwork does go wrong sometimes, and they will never be able
to set foot on the United States of America. Their whole dream collapses, and the few years they should
have spent in Vietnam to prepare for their future now go definitively down the drain. Similarly, while
waiting to get a new job, many unemployed enrol in language courses or a soft skill training programs.
They want to enhance their English skills, for example, or to be better themselves at time management,
or leadership, or any other skills that may be necessary occupational purposes, While some do gain a lot
of knowledge from this gap time, some simply take this as an excuse for not going to work. They also
lack concentration on learning, and basically do not find any motivation in coming to class.

Different forms of learning

Learning happens everywhere in the world, and at any time during the 24 – hour cycle. The question
is: how do people learn? Do they all go to school? Learning takes places in different ways, and different
people study in very different settings.

Formal education

Formal education means learning that takes place at a school. This can be a public or private school;
a primary, secondary, or high school; a college, an institution, or a vocational school. This is the most
common form of learning. In most countries around the world, formal education is a right and also an
obligation of all citizens. All people have to, are allowed to, and are given support to go to school. The
number of people taking part in formal education is growing day by day, and this helps to improve a
country in the long run.

Online education

However, not all students learn best in schools; a lot of people prefer to study online. To them,
schools are not the most suitable place because they cannot afford the time, or the money, or the travel
distance. When people study on the internet, they can make the most of their time and money, and still
achieve desirable outcomes. In this modern day, it is not difficult to gain access to the internet, and with
this tool, students have the ability to sit comfortably in their home scrolling over the contents of their
course on the computer screen, with a cup of hot coffee by their side.

There are a variety of ways people can learn online. The most comprehensive form is an online
course. Some courses charge students a certain amount of tuition, but there are free options as well.
When students go on the internet, what they need to do is to search for a reliable online training
program and sign up for it. Coursera is a prime example: this website offers a large number of free
courses on a variety of subjects. Students may only have to pay a fee if they wish to receive a certificate
of completion. Also, schools and colleges are promoting online programs alongside their formal
education. A large number of high schools in Vietnam are already building online resources for the same
contents in the national textbooks, and numerous universities have already uploaded content their e –
learning systems for exclusive student access. This brings about conveniences in that when a lecturer is
busy on a day, the class will still be able to maintain their progress by checking into their online lessons.
However, some people do not enjoy signing up for a course, but simply pick out certain insightful
websites for frequent visits. When learning about a particular subject, internet users simply search for
key words using a search engine like Google, and then browse through the millions of websites that host
relevant information. This information is more detailed and thorough than the knowledge contained in a
school textbook. In this sense, the internet is a great way to learn about cooking recipes, how to make a
tie or change a light bulb, and even how to speak confidently in public.

However, online learning can be problematic. A lot of people do not have access to the internet;
some of them give up along the way; and many simply do not know where to start.

In fact, internet access is not available at every corner of the world. In modern cities, people can
easily find access points at home, on the street, in a restaurant, in hotels, or even in their garden.
Nevertheless, in many rural parts of the world (sometimes even suburban areas), people have no idea
what the internet is, let alone its benefits. In Vietnam, numerous education companies hope to offer
online learning to people all over the country. From their point of view, this will help people in remote
areas gain knowledge more easily and learn in a better way. Their programs are claimed to be user –
friendly and scientifically developed. Yet, these organizations fail to realize that in most remote areas,
there is no internet service (which can only be solved by the government and internet providers!). The
second problem lies with the potential learners themselves: they cannot access the intenet if they do
not have a good devide. In most cases, this good device is way too expensive for the income of
mountainous people. Even a used laptop may cost $100. In a region where electricity is not stable,
having a laptop and internet is without a shadow of doubt pie in the sky; thus, online learning is a long
way off.

Learning online requires enormous motivation. In fact, it is really easy to quit after a month or so.
First, there is no supervision. Online courses do not check attendance, give homework, nor care about
the students’ learning.They offer content and the best way to make use of it, but learning is completely
up to the learners themselves. It is understandable that the internet has more attractive features than
boring learning websites, and users tend to be drawn towards YouTube, Facebook, or other sources of
entertainment rather than focus on their study. Without a teacher breathing down their necks, users
have a hard time trying to concentrate. This is an obvious a waste of time and money and efforts.
Secondly, other matters of life may interfere at any point. These can be a new job, a new relationship,
an appointment, pressure from work, or simply laziness. When people have something new in life to
cling on to, any online classes will just slip their minds. When people have to spend time for a new
relationship, going to events and gatherings, it is highly like that they forget to check in to their online
website for learning. When people are too stressed out at work, they will no longer to want learn
anything after office hours. Many are simply lazy one day and decide to put things off until the next day,
promising themmselves they will be back on track. This, however, most of the time leads to a habit of
procrastination, and eventually, the first time they postpone their lesson becomes the last time they
seriously think about it.
 Quite a large number of people cannot study on their own thanks to a lack of autonomy. Undeniably,
many learners are used to having a teacher around to give instructions and support. Without guidance,
they have no idea where to begin, what website to go to, what to read, what exercises to do, and even
what button to click on. However, the more popular cases are people who cannot deal with information
overload. When they search for something, too much information pops up, making it a mission
impossible 10 to select the first website to click on. When they manage to visit one website already, the
frustration repeats itself: they are at a loss in the sea of information. In some situations, it is absolutely
necessary to have a teacher to give an explanation of difficult terms, after which students should find it
easier to further explore the concepts. Without an instructor – led lesson, it is really hard to get the
wheel rolling.

How people study

Different people may choose to study in different ways. Some prefer to learn in a group while others
would rather learn by themselves. Some enjoy learning through reading while others prefer to learn
from listening, watching, or even from playing games.

Group Work

One of the requirements for new employees in the modern world of work is the ability to work well
in a team. Most corporations and companies now have a different team in charge of certain job, like a
marketing team. If people cannot fit into this way of work, there can be no jobs well done. This, in turn,
influences how people study.Study is meant to prepare people for their future occupations, and for this
reason in many situations nowadays students are required to work in teams.

Teamwork can be part of any subject, ranging from math, physics to languages. In a scientific subject,
students may have to do a group project. For example, a physics teacher may ask groups of 5 students
to do an experiment, recording and making a video from it to show to the class. The same thing may
happen in a chemistry class. For the subject of history students might go on a field trip to a museum or a
historical site to observe the past and gain understanding. As a follow – up, they will be asked to write
up a paper together to discuss what they have learnt from the trip. Biology students may have to plant
trees together to see for themselves the development of plant life: from a tiny seed to a fully grown
plant. They may also be required to work in a lab to observe the division of cells or the process of tree
perspiration. In a language class, students might join hands to make a presentation on the topic they are
going to learn about, or to compose a paragraph or essay on a given topic.

If teamwork is so popular, is it always effective? That certainly depends. To some students, this is
their way to learn, but many seriously do not enjoy having to work with others.

Teamwork, first of all, brings certain advantages. It is fast. Since there are a huge number of tasks to
be done for a big project, it will take a huge amount of time if this is done by only one person. However,
when assigned to five members, tasks will be equally divided amongst members, and each will have to
be in charge of only cog in the big wheel. Ultimately, the project will be carried out in less time, with
fewer efforts from team members. For example, five students are required to plan a day out for the
whole class: now each of them will need to focus on only one task. Student A will take care of food,
student B transportation, student C games & activities, student D parent’s admission forms, and student
E announcement and marketing. Furthermore, teamwork prevents mistakes. As the saying goes, two
heads are better than one. When a task is conducted by only one person, it is easy to make mistakes and
really difficult to anticipate potential problems. But as members team up to plan a day out for the class,
each of them will contribute their experience. They will be able to tell each what problems may appear
before and during the day: what if too few members come? what if one of us is sick? what if there is not
enough food? what if somebody gets lots? what if our friends cannot get their parents’ admission? By
predicting such problems, the day out will be perfect, and students will immediately know what to do in
case of an emergency. Finanlly, working in a group develops interpersonal skills, which is its most
essential value. Via group work, students develop their communication, interaction, leadership, time
management, problem – solving, and critical thinking. Their communication becomes better when they
talk to team members and try to express opinions. Their social interaction is enhanced when they can
get along well with others. Their leadership grows if they practice acting as the team leader through task
division and decision making. Their problem – solving skill is improved when they have to face with
unexpected issues that appear out of the blue. Their critical thinking is polished when they have to
weigh up the pross and cons, the difficulties and the easy parts, the complexity of tasks, etc.

However, group work can also be rather problematic. Believe it or not, it can be a waste of time. It is
sometimes more time – efficient to work individually. When students do not have sufficient experience
with team work, or when the team is led by an incompetent person in charge, it will take ages for a
group to make decisions. In these circumstances, when the leader decides on something, others are
reluctant to follow suit, but will stick to their own post, leading to overall teamwork failure.
Furthermore, group work is not suitable, with all kinds of subjects. Many teachers ask their students to
team up in a writing class, and more often than not this does not work out. In fact, writing is highly
personal, and a group paper cannot represent all the members in it, not to mention the different
opinions and word choices between students. They have to spend a whole day simply trying to project
their point of views and language use. This, in turn, may lead to serious arguments. When students
disagree in a team, they tend to have a big quarrel, which may result in a relationship breakdown.
However, the major issue with group work is students’ readiness. US students are more familiar with
groups, so they will find this method effective for learning; in contrast, Vietnamese students are
primarily accustomed to working on their own, which means working in a team does not add up.

Learning abroad
Education is important, but the quality of education varies from one country to another. Some
countries in the world offer a better education, and their teaching is ranked high in the world’s list of
best places to study. For this reason, studying abroad has become a growing trend.

People decide to move overseas to further education for various reasons. The most obvious is
quality. The education systems “in the West” are generally labeled top – notched compared to those “in
the East”. Vietnamese, Chinese, Laotian, and Cambodian students, etc. mostly share a common lust to
go to a school in the USA, Britain, Australia, New Zealand, Finland, Norway, etc. According to them, their
parents, their teachers and their culture, being an overseas student will guarantee a brighter future. In
fact, a large number of Vietnamese companies prioritize candidates who have a degree earned in a
foreign country. It is generally believed that when a student is trained NOT in their hometown, their
competence is much higher. Secondly, many students follow the trend as their parents want to take
advantage of this. In this case, learning becomes a secondary purpose: the major goal is to have a
chance to settle down in a foreign country. Some Vietnamese parents share a common vision that
settling down in the USA, for example, will bring a better future for their children, and more
importantly, their grandchildren. To them, the learning of the children is not really essential, but a
foreign citizenship. For whatever purposes, these parents will have an opportunity to boost about their
children in front of friends and relatives.

Nevertheless, this practice has its drawbacks. One major problem is finance. A large number of families
lack sufficient finance to support children in their few years of studying in another country. Certainly,
looking for a schoolarship is the quickest solution, but schoolarship are limited, and not all parents are
aware of their children’s weak performances. Without such financial sponsorship, tuition will be too
gigantic to mention: it can amount to more than 20 years’ income of a whole family. One problem with
this investment is the fact that not all students who finish their overseas training program can make up
for the money spent. This may create a financial pressure on the family and parents might end up in
debts. In other words, if the plan goes wrong, then money will be a big deal. Another problem is culture
shock. Moving to a new country means facing a totally different set of cultural values. The differences in
the way people see the world will lead to huge dissimilarities in the way they behave and desirable
social etiquettes. The gap between Eastern and Western cultures is the most serious one. Vietnamese
students moving to the USA may be startled by the social demands on the student: they are supposed
to be highly independent, able to think critically, to fend for themselves, and to take responsibility. The
mode of communication is also not similar between these two cultures. Even table manners and
greetings may cause misunderstanding and conflicts. American citizens may find it really annoying when
their Vietnamese counterparts do not enjoy standing in a queue but would rather squeeze their way up
a waiting line. Also, Vietnamese people do not have a taste for group work, which can be a cause for
concern when they have to team up with foreign partners. While most Americans are willing to mix in
with new members, the Vietnamese tend to babble among themselves in their own mother tongue. All
these differences will eventually put the overseas Vietnamese student at a huge disadvantage. The final
issue with studying abroad is moral values. In Vietnam, for example, the majority of children live under
the wings of their parents for more than 18 years. To put it in another way, these students have little
exposure to the world, and to them everything in life is strange and worth exploring. When they set
food in a foreign land, the moral values of the new place are a complete different ball game. Without a
clear understanding of their own moral values, it is easy for them to simply take in all new values they
find intriguing. They may want to try out tattooing, piercing, or other new ‘practices’, and this can be the
start of a degraded life ahead. There are many examples of Vietnamese students going off the rail after
a few months in the States: they do not spend time for their learning, but more for their own
entertainment and exploration of the new world.