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The education inspector addressed the board:

• Honourable members, after a month inspecting Trần Đại Nghĩa secondary school, we have some bad news and some good news. Which would you like to hear first?
  After a moment's silence, the director of the department said:
• Just tell us. Either one first is fine.
• Thank you, Director, and members of the board, and the principal of Trần Đại Nghĩa school. The good news is that the school has no problem students any more. All of them are well behaved and diligent in their studies, and their end-of-year results are all good or excellent. This is a result that seems almost impossible.
  Everyone applauded.
  The inspector continued:
• The bad news is that the school's management has invented rules of its own that differ from the Ministry of Education's general regulations. For example, they have written their own ethics curriculum for the school. At every term exam, the ethics exam comes first, and it is very hard. A student who fails ethics is not allowed to sit the exams in other subjects. One student had to retake the ethics exam four times before passing, and only then was allowed to sit the others. This goes against the ministry's training programme. I propose that the management, and the principal in particular, be disciplined. They may even be dismissed from the profession.
  Everyone sat in stunned silence. The principal was silent too, looking sad.
  A head of section stood up and said:
• When you gave the good news you didn't propose any reward, yet when you give the bad news you propose dismissal and discipline. Your approach is unfair. An inspector who is unfair destroys the morale of every unit. I propose that the director and the board discipline this inspector first.
  The situation changed unexpectedly.
  There was a buzz of discussion. The inspector smiled, stood up and said:
• I thank the head of section. In presenting it that way, I wanted to push the board into a state of indignation. Thank you for being indignant. I have two children, in grades 6 and 8, and yesterday I finished the paperwork to transfer them to Trần Đại Nghĩa school. I want my children to be taught the way the management is trying out, and which has been so successful. I want students to have moral character before they absorb other subjects. The management of Trần Đại Nghĩa dared to pioneer this even knowing they might be disciplined. As for me, I stand on the school's side, and I accept being disciplined together with the principal.
  Everyone cheered and applauded loudly.
  The director waved his hand and said:
• Quietly, quietly. Don't make a noise. Now, write me a report to sign and send to the ministry, presenting this as our province's pilot project, and then boldly propose that the ministry study applying it nationwide. That way no one gets disciplined.
  Everyone cheered and applauded without stopping. 👨‍💼

Science and technology advance by the minute. Every minute, in some laboratory somewhere in the world, someone is inventing or discovering something new. Then those technologies are refined, commercialised and brought into daily life, changing society and reaching deep into people's culture and way of life. But ethics as a school subject, and moral character in each person, have made no progress at all. Indeed, with the smallest lapse, people's morals decline at once.

If people use advanced machinery and technology without ethics, they can very easily use it for wicked ends. When wickedness is supported by advanced technology, its destructive power is fearsome. More people will die and more bad people will appear. The law will hurry along behind, trying to restrain the harm of high-tech evil, but it will always be one step slower.

The world needs a new educational process to promote moral progress in students. Future citizens must have more moral character than the previous generation, because science will be more advanced than before. The ethics subject will need investment in a more engaging, deeper and more practical curriculum. Ethics teachers must be paid more and must live more exemplary, transparent lives.
And finally, a student who fails ethics should not yet be allowed to sit the exams in other subjects. Students should keep retaking ethics until they pass, and only then sit the others. If the national education system emphasised ethics to that degree, we would have no need to worry about our country keeping pace with the world in the future.