Character education: The pillar to prevent achievement disease and exam cheating

Knowledge can open the door to the future, but character determines how we go through it. The “achievement disease” in education arises when scores, passing rates, and good reports are considered the ultimate measure. When “form” overwhelms “substance,” cheating becomes a shortcut, school ethics is eroded, and society suffers the consequences of empty diplomas and diminished real abilities.

Báo Lào Cai•10/09/2025

To address the root cause, we need to shift the focus from "scores" to "character"—that is, restoring standards of honesty, responsibility, discipline, and respect for fairness.

The obsession with achievement doesn't arise spontaneously but is nurtured by a skewed incentive mechanism: evaluating schools, classes, teachers, and students primarily through ratios and grades; examinations that prioritize selection over development; and parents, fearing "falling behind," inadvertently encouraging extra tutoring, rote learning, and grade manipulation. Within this dynamic, teachers easily chase "quotas," students are pushed onto "shortcuts," and administrators prioritize superficial stability. To break this cycle, the measurement criteria must change: prioritizing practical skills, civic ethics, and collaborative abilities; and reducing the weight of individual exam scores in overall assessment.

Character education isn't about a few "moral" lessons or slogans; it's about redesigning the school experience. Integrating integrity education, critical thinking, and self-management skills into the curriculum is essential. Project-based learning, community service, and reflection journals should be expanded to allow students to compare what they "know" with what they "do." A code of honor, jointly developed and committed to by students, serves as a soft but effective barrier, helping them understand why they shouldn't cheat, rather than simply fearing being caught. When students see the value of fairness and effort, the motivation to cheat naturally diminishes.

The exemplary role of teachers is crucial: recruitment and evaluation must prioritize integrity and professional responsibility as much as expertise; all conflicts of interest must be made public; rewards must be linked to actual academic improvement, not just exam results. Schools must ensure transparent examination processes, independent oversight, and anonymous feedback channels to protect whistleblowers; technology should be applied to prevent wrongdoing but not replace moral education. Teacher and school evaluations should also be separated from the pressure of pass rates, replaced by external accreditation, post-graduation competency surveys, and school integrity indices.

Ultimately, parents and society are the remaining "legs." When families resolutely say no to buying grades, when the media celebrates honesty instead of inflated achievements, and when businesses recruit based on competence and trustworthiness, then shortcuts will lose their appeal. By placing character at the forefront, we not only curb the obsession with achievement and exam cheating, but also build a truly meaningful education – where genuine values are respected and the future is secured by kindness.

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