On 29th September 2010, DTU held a conference “Humanities Study for Vietnamese Students Today”. Mr. Le Cong Co, Chairman of the Board of Management and DTU Rector led the conference and emphasized “However difficult, students must be taught Humanities in order to learn how to think and behave in the modern world”.
Mr.Le Cong Co spoke at the conference
In recent years, higher education in Vietnam has paid too much attention to professional training but not to ethical education. This is a major deficiency for the personal improvement of students who will take the major role in the development of our country. Fifteen speakers and over forty articles from educators, culturists, artists and so on at the conference outlined current problems and suggested several solutions.
Dr. Vu Ngoc Hoang-Deputy Head of Central Propaganda emphasized: “In the integration of modern society, cultural exchange between Asian and Western countries is essential. However, we should hold onto our traditions. Humanities education cannot be separated from academic education. We need to educate students about critical thinking”.
According to Professor Banh Tien Long, former Vice Minister of MOET: “Humanities education needs to be taught at different levels for different age groups. Also, we need to distinguish between Humanities education and the concept of Humanism. At universities, humanities education can be taught with other subjects. Furthermore, social activities, scientific research and personal relationships can improve students’ awareness of humanistic values.”
Prof. Dr. Banh Tien Long expressed
Most of the attendees’ ideas were aimed to find a best solution to enhance the awareness of students about Humanities. Prof. Hoang Chuong said: “The younger generation has been indifferent to our traditions. This is not because they do not like them, but there are fewer opportunities for them to discover the true values of our society. Through the arts, we can teach them more about these values.” Mr. Bui Cong Minh, former Head of Danang Propaganda suggested forming a connection between literature and academic education. He said “In order to teach Humanities effectively, we should work together to establish advisory councils in universities to organize social activities for students”.
The discussions at the conference produced various views and opinions on Humanities education. Even though Humanities education is considered essential to education, it has not been given adequate attention. It’s time for Vietnamese universities to teach this discipline for the future of our country. Duy Tan University will try its best to achieve its goal of providing practical academic education based on humanities of the modern times.
(Board of Website Editors)