Let's enter the high school graduation exam with a light heart...

The 2025 high school graduation exam is considered an important milestone for many young people. (Photo: Nguyet Anh)

Don't put too much hope in an exam.

As scheduled, it seems that the whole society is paying special attention to the high school graduation exam, a milestone that many people consider “the most important exam in life”. That is not wrong but not entirely right either. Because, when we put too much expectation on an exam, we are inadvertently pushing students, who are at the age of discovering and developing themselves, into a heavy cycle, where scores seem to become the only measure of ability and future.

More precisely, invisible and visible pressure weighs heavily on the shoulders of millions of students, turning the learning journey into a non-stop cycle, where they become "machines" of studying and taking exams, having to work diligently year after year. Meanwhile, with the strong development of artificial intelligence (AI), learning is and will have profound changes, requiring a different way of thinking abouteducation and assessing human capacity.

Today’s world has been changing rapidly under the wave of AI and digital transformation. The way of learning, working, and assessing human capacity is no longer the same as before. In such an era, can a traditional exam be enough to generalize all qualities, potentials, creative thinking or soft skills, the key factors that help a person succeed?

It is undeniable that examinations are a necessary step in education, a survey measure to assess a part of the knowledge and skills of learners at a certain time. It helps the education system have an overview of the quality of teaching and learning, and at the same time helps students self-test their abilities. However, if we give it the meaning of "an important exam of a lifetime", we are unintentionally creating a huge pressure, causing the value of an entire learning process to be narrowed down to a few numbers on the transcript.

"We need an education that appreciates and nurtures each 'fish' according to its swimming ability, instead of forcing it to climb trees. Then each child will be able to be themselves, freely develop in their own way, confidently entering a world full of challenges but also many opportunities."

Let the exam be a supportive measurement, not a decisive factor in the future. Success does not mean a perfect score, and failure in an exam is not the end. Many great people did not have excellent grades, but they knew their strengths, dared to try - dared to fail - dared to stand up.

Reality has proven that a person’s success is not necessarily determined by an exam. No matter how high the exam score is, it is only a quantitative number, it cannot measure the entire capacity, critical thinking, creativity, problem-solving skills, or emotional intelligence of a person. These factors and countless other qualities form the foundation for students to confidently step into life and reap success.

History has proven that through many generations. Not all geniuses or successful people have passed all exams with 9s or 10s. They have also failed and experienced hardships, but from those failures, they have learned how to stand up, understand themselves and realize their unique strengths.

Today, candidates entered the 2025 high school graduation exam. (Source: VGP)

Let every exam be a growing experience

So how can we prevent students from becoming “learning machines” that work diligently for 12 years, only to collapse when they do not achieve the expected scores? The answer, perhaps, lies with us – adults, parents, schools, society, and even those who make educational policies.

It is time to change the way we perceive the true value of people. When education knows how to value individual abilities and strengths instead of just relying on scores, the pressure from exams will no longer be a psychological burden. When schools do not teach for exams, but teach for living, adapting and developing, students will be equipped with real provisions to enter life not only with knowledge, but also with confidence, courage, adaptability and compassion.

"When society no longer places too much emphasis on scores but focuses on more substantial values such as practical abilities, thinking, moral qualities, and ability to contribute, the assessment of a person's abilities will also be different and more substantial. At that time, the pressure from exams will be significantly reduced, giving way to excitement and joy in learning."

In the age of AI, learning will undergo many fundamental changes. AI can replace humans in processing information, memorizing data and performing repetitive tasks. This means that education cannot forever focus on cramming knowledge and testing the ability to reproduce information.

Instead, education should aim to develop critical and creative thinking, encourage students to ask questions, analyze problems from multiple perspectives, find breakthrough solutions; communication, teamwork, problem solving, the ability to adapt to change, skills that AI can hardly replace; at the same time, inspire passion and personal direction.

Each child is a unique individual with hidden strengths. Schools and families need to create an environment for children to explore and nurture their passions, thereby orienting their path to suit themselves. In particular, let them learn to connect and develop themselves. Education is not just about getting a job, but about becoming a global citizen, able to connect with the world, continuously learning and developing throughout life.

The core issue at this time is to relieve the pressure that is weighing heavily on students' shoulders. Let each candidate enter the high school graduation exam more easily, because the exam is not a battle. This is just a necessary stop on the path of education, an opportunity to self-evaluate, not the only door leading to success or failure in life.

To truly reduce pressure and help the younger generation develop comprehensively, the most important thing is that education must change the value system and the way people perceive their true abilities. If society focuses on more substantial values such as practical abilities, thinking, moral qualities, and the ability to contribute, then the assessment of a person's abilities will also be different. At that time, the pressure from exams will be significantly reduced, giving way to excitement and joy in learning.

We need an education that values and nurtures each “fish” according to its swimming ability, instead of forcing it to climb trees. Then each child will be able to be themselves, be free to develop in their own way, and confidently step into a world full of challenges but also full of opportunities.

Let each exam be a growth experience. Let students enter the high school graduation exam with a light heart because life has many doors other than the university door, there are many paths to success. Because in the end, the true value of a person cannot be measured by any exam.

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/hay-buoc-vao-ky-thi-tot-nghiep-thpt-bang-tam-the-nhe-nhang-318986.html