Hearing my sister tell me about a student in western Hai Phong who allegedly took her own life after missing the admission deadline to a high school by just 0.25 points, I was speechless for a long time. It was so heartbreaking.
The haunting thing isn't the 0.25 point difference, but the fact that a 15-year-old child sees the result of an exam as the boundary between hope and despair.
0.25 points cannot fully measure a person's abilities, much less determine the value of a life. However, under the ever-increasing pressure to achieve high scores, grades seem to have transcended the meaning of an exam. They have become a measure of self-worth, a source of pride or disappointment for families, and a heavy burden placed on the still-developing shoulders of children.
Actually, the real question isn't whether the 10th grade entrance exam is difficult or easy. Since it's an exam, some will pass and some will fail. But why would an exam make a student feel like their future is over?
Perhaps it's because for too long we've inadvertently considered grades as the ultimate goal. In the minds of many students, passing is success and pride; while failing means failure, losing opportunities, and disappointing their parents.
When a child believes their worth is determined by a few numbers on a report card, it's no longer just their story. It's an adult's story.
We often ask, "How many points did you get?", but rarely ask, "Are you okay?" or "How do you feel?"... We readily congratulate students who get into prestigious schools or selective classes, but rarely tell those who haven't achieved their desired results, "It's okay, life is still long."
Many parents don't put any verbal pressure on their children. But silent sacrifices, expectant glances, or comparisons to "other people's children" are enough to make a child feel they can't afford to fail.
At 15, they don't have enough experience to understand that when one door closes, many others open. Failing to get into a school doesn't mean losing your future. Missing 0.25 points doesn't mean you lack ability. A person's life cannot be decided by an exam that lasts only a few days.
It seems that every exam season leaves behind stories that shock adults. Education is not just about teaching knowledge, but also about helping students accept failure, get back up after falling, and believe that their self-worth does not depend on grades.
The family should also be the most peaceful place for children to return to after each exam, not a place of fear filled with reproaches or disappointed glances. Schools need to pay more attention to students' mental health. Society also needs to stop glorifying perfect scores and instead show more appreciation for perseverance, kindness, and the ability to overcome adversity.
Every exam season, there will always be those who pass and those who fail. That's the rule of admissions. But it would be a tragedy if there were still children who thought their lives would end based on the results of an exam.
What we need to protect is not only the fairness of exams, but also the mental health of students growing up under pressure.
Tomorrow, July 1st, students will know their high school graduation exam results. I only hope that after each results announcement, the question students hear most often won't be: "How many points did you get?"
Because an acceptance letter only opens the gate to a school. But love, understanding, and compassion are what open the path for a child to confidently move forward in life.
BAO LINHSource: https://baohaiphong.vn/dung-de-diem-so-lon-hon-mot-cuoc-doi-546738.html
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