The virtual conference takes place in all cities and provinces
According to the Ministry of Education and Training, the average teacher/class ratio has not met the requirements under the new education program initiated in 2018. Currently, the education sector still lacks teachers of English and Informatics for primary schools and Music and Fine Arts subjects for high schools when applying for the General Education Program 2018 from the school year 2022 - 2023.
At the conference, leaders of the education sector in cities and provinces continued moaning about the problem of teacher shortage. Mr. Tran The Cuong, Director of the Hanoi Department of Education and Training in the capital city of Hanoi proposed that the Government should allow schools with large numbers of students to have three vice principals.
He recommended that the government should allow schools to sign working contracts with professional teaching as well as to allow schools in Hanoi to raise the building block and build the basement.
Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Education and Training Nguyen Van Hieu also said that currently, there are still no attractive regulations and policies for teachers of foreign languages, informatics, school medical staff, and librarians, accountants, music and fine arts teachers, are not enough to meet the needs of Ho Chi Minh City while teachers of these subjects have a particularly important role in schools and in the implementation of the new 2018 education program and meeting the development requirements of the education sector.
Ms. Nguyen Thi Nhat Hang, Director of the Department of Education and Training in the Southern Province of Binh Duong, also mentioned the shortage of primary and preschool teachers in the province. According to statistics from January to April 2022, Binh Duong has 527 preschools and primary school teachers who quit their jobs due to low salaries. The lack of teachers is one of the obstacles to building a national standard school in Binh Duong.
Worse, Binh Duong Province has seen a shortage of schools whereas the number of students increased especially in industrial zones. According to Ms. Hang, with preschool education, 5-year-old children are prioritized to be admitted into kindergartens meanwhile all 6-year-old children residing in the area are eligible for a seat in primary schools. Many schools with a high number of students in a class can’t conduct two learning shifts a day due to a lack of classrooms.
Presently, Binh Duong Province is still lacking over 3,000 teachers teaching subjects such as technology, informatics, and art while the new 10th-grade program will be carried out in this new academic year. The province is still in the process of recruiting public employees, and at the same time signing labor contracts with teachers and professional staff so that there is no shortage of teachers.
The director of Binh Duong Department of Education and Training also suggested that there should be preferential policies for provinces with plenty of industrial parks.
The Central Province of Ha Tinh also proposed the Ministry of Education and Training amend the quota of primary school teachers to ensure the implementation of the 2018 National Education Program. Specifically, Ha Tinh suggested amending the regulation of a maximum of 1.5 teachers per class to a minimum of 1.5. teacher in a class.
The Central-Northern Province of Thanh Hoa also complained of a shortage of teachers and employees in the education sector. In the school year 2021-2022, Thanh Hoa Province still lacks 8,968 teachers. By the school year 2022-2023, Thanh Hoa is short of 10,276 teachers in all grades accounting for 19 percent.
Therefore, the province asked the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Ministry of Education and Training to coordinate with relevant sectors, to assign enough staff to educational institutions, especially with an increase in the number of students and the number of classes.
Professor Nguyen Van Minh, Principal of Hanoi National University of Education, emphasized that in the implementation of the new 2018 program, the sector must pay attention to having enough teachers and do better in fostering teaching staff.
At the conference, localities also suggested that the Ministry of Education and Training soon have a plan to organize the high school graduation exam for students to implement the new educational program starting from the 2024-2025 school year so that they can have an orientation in the future. Moreover, the Ministry should have specific guidelines on tutoring inside and outside the school.
A leader of the Ministry of Education and Training also pointed out the shortcomings and difficulties in some localities, urban areas and big cities due to the pressure of rapid mechanical population growth leading to a high number of students per class. such as Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Hai Phong, Binh Duong, Dong Nai. The average rate of teachers/class has not met the requirements under the regulations on implementation of the new 2018 program.
Currently, the education sector still lacks teachers of English and Informatics for primary schools and Music and Fine Arts subjects for high schools when carrying out the new 2018 program from the school year 2022 - 2023.
Minister of Education and Training Nguyen Kim Son said that one of the important tasks is to standardize teachers and educational administrators at all grades. Up to now, the Politburo has decided to add 65,980 additional teacher payrolls to localities for the period of 2022-2026.
