Mystery still surrounds claims of a math problem, purportedly asking first grade students how many fingers remain on their hand after chopping some off, as it goes viral on the internet and the education minister confirms its existence on national television.
Vietnamese parents are yet again up in arms at the contents of resource books being used to teach their children at schools across the country. This time the concern is with a math question that, according to many, encourages and promotes violence.
The problem says: “You have five fingers. If you chop off two of them, how many fingers are left?”
The problem first started being circulated on the internet over a year ago when a post on Facebook went viral. The controversy continued and recently the Minister of Education and Training, Pham Vu Luan, was confronted by a host on VTV.
Despite not naming the book in which the problem appears, Luan offered explanation claiming the question might have been written by those who lack a practical knowledge of education and distributed by publishers “who chase after money.”
Educators around the country remain unsure whether the question actually exists and have called on MoET inspectors to take responsibility for verifying the authenticity of the puzzle.
Many teachers have stated that they would never ask their students to complete such a question and if confronted by it, would simply cross it out and ask another.
Another silly puzzle has gone viral on Facebook without any official verification from the education ministry.
It says: “Nam is four years old. His father’s age is three times that of Nam. How old is Nam’s father?”
It turns out the father is only twelve years old!
It seems wonders will never cease in the Vietnamese education system.
