HCMC proposes specific mechanism for educational development

Speaking at the event, Chairman of the municipal People’s Committee Phan Van Mai said that HCMC is one of the biggest economic, cultural, and social centers of the country with a population of more than 10 million people will be ready for a pilot project of the implementation of new mechanism models in different fields, including the educational sector.

HCMC is one of the worst-hit localities in the country during the huge wave of coronavirus. As of now, the Covid-19 pandemic has been basically brought under control. However, the city is still facing the implications of the pandemic, including the education and training sector which has been hit particularly hard by the disease, said Minister of the Education and Training Nguyen Kim Son.

According to Vice Chairman of the HCMC People’s Committee Duong Anh Duc, the city has 2,366 educational facilities, including 1,351 kindergartens, 514 primary schools, 286 secondary schools, and 204 high schools with more than 1.6 million students and nearly 77,500 teachers. There are also 1,791 vocational schools and continuing education centers; 1,450 languages and information technology centers; 310 community training centers in Thu Duc City and 22 districts.

The city has set goals for the 2021-2025 period, with orientations toward 2030, consisting of achieving the rate of 300 classrooms for 10,000 students, 80 percent of administrative procedures that will be implemented online, 80 percent of primary schools, 60 percent of secondary schools and 80 percent of high schools providing two direct classes a day, at least 24 schools of each educational stages with international standards, 50 percent of high school students achieving the level two or above of the six-levels of foreign language proficiency framework after graduation and 90 percent of high school graduates getting computer application basic knowledge.

However, some regulations of the Government are no longer suitable for the current situation of the city’s educational sector, such as policies to attract language and IT teachers, school nurses, librarians, treasurers, accountants, music and fine arts teachers; lack of human resources at vocational schools and continuing education centers; average space per students; education land use planning; policies to attract investors.

The city’s administration has proposed that the Government should issue an adjustment of the decree No 86/20/ND-CP dated June 6, 2018, in accordance with the Education Law 2019 enacting regulations on foreign cooperation and investment in the field of vocational education; articles ensuring the rights of students who study in foreign education facilities and allowing public schools to actively implement education cooperation; authorize the city to assess integrated education programs at educational facilities having foreign cooperation.

The city also suggested the Ministry of Education and Training to adjust the circular No.13/2020/BGDDT dated May 28, 2020, enacting regulations on infrastructures at kindergartens, primary, secondary and high schools; teaching tools; and issue instructions for teaching programs, assessment, forms of high school graduation exam, policies allowing contract teachers who have not got yet certificates in pedagogical skills training to provide certificates in pedagogy from 12 -36 months.

The Ministry of Education and Training needs to allow Sai Gon University to actively organize exams to receive students of the faculties of IT, Fine Arts and Music, languages of Korea, Japan, China, and France.

The city suggested taking responsibility for the organization of the high school graduation exam and reviewing and granting recognition of graduation.