He gave a typical story as a 14-year-old female student who had to be hospitalized in his department with serious mental weakness. She showed signs of memory loss, difficulty concentrating, frequent depression and self-harm. When talking, he shared that he was under great pressure from his family because he had to hold the position of class leader for a long time. Every time I don't achieve good results, I will be scolded by my mother and grandfather, making me feel useless and worthless to live. This leads to suicide thoughts. The doctor's diagnosis was that she had severe depression, a clear consequence of the exam pressure.
Research by the Ministry of Education and Training in 2024 shows that up to 67% of high school students have experienced extreme stress before important exams; of which, 25% have signs of mild to moderate depression. Excessive expectations from family are the main factor leading to this situation. Parents want their children to achieve excellent results, but do not realize that this pressure can cause great harm to their children's mental health.
Decree No. 282/2025/ND-CP of the Government regulating administrative sanctions for violations in the fields of security, order, and social safety; prevention and control of social evils; prevention and control of domestic violence effective from December 15, 2025, Article 40 stipulates a fine of up to 10 million VND for the act of "forcing family members to study too much".
However, the form of punishment is only a last resort to prevent wrongdoings. What is more important is to have changes in the awareness of society, including parents, schools and the community. Society needs to understand that learning is not a race for achievements but a comprehensive development process for each child. Educational and community organizations also need to accompany families, provide psychological counseling services, and support parents in raising children.
Schools need to change their methods of evaluating students, not only focusing on exam results but also paying attention to the comprehensive development of children, from life skills, emotions to self-study and creativity. In particular, it is necessary to reduce the "disease of achievements" in education, instead of only rewarding academic achievements, it is necessary to honor the efforts, progress and openness of students.
The remaining problem is, the authorities, the Ministry of Education and Training, and experts must determine the threshold for students, at each age to make an assessment of what is "excessive". A humane regulation can only be implemented when it sets out specific, qualitative criteria, not emotional evaluation, especially related to expectations, sometimes excessive, for children in the family.
