Most members of the Committee for Culture and Education disagreed with making History an optional subject at the high school level for many reasons. First, History is a particularly important subject, playing a key role in political and ideological education for the young generation; educating patriotism, national self-esteem, cultural and historical traditions; fostering the thinking capacity and proper actions and behaviors in social life; thereby forming the qualities of Vietnamese citizens in the development trend of the times.
Secondly, in terms of age, high school students, from the age of 15 to 17, mature in awareness and have better receptive ability about the national history. This is also the age that determines the formation of worldview, the system of views about nature, society, principles and behavior rules, and human value orientation.
Third, History is always a compulsory subject in the high school curriculum in many countries worldwide, such as the US, France, Australia, Japan, and China.
From the above arguments, the NA's Committee for Culture and Education believes that History has a special position and significance in the general education program. Students need to be equipped with this knowledge. Therefore, the committee unanimously proposed the Ministry of Education and Training stipulate History as a compulsory subject in the 2018 General Education Program with an appropriate volume of knowledge. The subject includes historical knowledge (required) and career-oriented knowledge (optional).
