'Inserting 'voluntary' subjects into the main curriculum is against the regulations'

P MUST TEACH ALL COMPULSORY SUBJECTS IN THE CURRICULUM

Director Thai Van Tai said that the design of the 2018 GeneralEducation Program has a "framework" and is "open". "Framework" is the first principle that must be fully implemented, ensuring the correct standards and regulations in the program. "Open" means that schools have the right to design their own teaching plans, include some content, but must use their own staff standards to implement it, not using outside forces to implement it.

Director of Primary Education Department Thai Van Tai

For example, teacher A is assigned to teach Vietnamese and is required to teach 10 periods/week, but the standard period for primary school teachers is 23 periods/week. If teacher A has just taught 20 periods/week, then in the remaining 3 periods, teacher A can include some experiential and practical educational activities for students to ensure that they have mastered the knowledge they have learned. Those 3 experiential periods are within the teaching standard of that teacher.

For example, in math classes, teachers have the responsibility to integrate STEM into teaching to make it easier for students to understand, apply, and be more enthusiastic in accordance with the spirit of the 2018 General Education Program. However, if the school assigns an outside unit to use regular school hours to organize STEM education and charge students a fee, that is wrong.

Mr. Thai Van Tai, Director of Primary Education Department (Ministry of Education and Training)

For primary schools, the 2018 General Education Program stipulates teaching 2 sessions per day with the required number of periods to be implemented according to that program being 7 periods/day. In reality, with 7 periods/day like that, the time frame of the student's day is not fully utilized. For example, 4 periods in the morning end at 10:30; 3 periods in the afternoon end at around 15:30. Those are the main periods that schools, no matter how they design, must teach all the compulsory subjects, students must be guaranteed to study equally. That is the responsibility of the schools.

Schools must ensure that primary school students have 7 regular lessons per day.

When teachers have completed 7 periods/day but still have not fulfilled all the teaching hour norms, schools must design additional activities and use their own resources to carry them out.

Thus, this enhanced activity has two situations: one is that teachers who are within the quota must use up all the quota; the other is to teach enhanced learning according to the needs of the learners, for example, learning English with foreigners, enhancing art education, physical education, sports , etc. With this second enhanced learning situation, it must be designed according to the needs of each student, not arranged by class unit and must be taught outside of regular school hours. The program is designed according to the "framework" and "open" like that.

Very tense arrangement between the public and the private!

Speaking with Thanh Nien reporter, Mr. Nguyen Bao Quoc, Deputy Director of the Department of Education and Training of Ho Chi Minh City, said that it is necessary to distinguish between the main lessons according to the regulations of the 2018 General Education Program as "hard" lessons, and "the other" (the "voluntary" subject content that the reporter mentioned) are supplementary activities, supplementing the content according to the projects, and they need to be considered independently of each other.

"In addition to the main lessons, the school program is supplemented, including some activities related to skills, related to projects such as information technology or foreign languages. However, the arrangement is very tight, between the general and the external, there are things that cannot be separated, independent, depending on the reality of each school", said Mr. Nguyen Bao Quoc.

Thuy Hang

SCHOOL TIME IS A STUDENT'S "INAUDIBLE" RIGHT

So, can we understand that those 7 main lessons are "inviolable", all schools are required to comply, teach correctly and sufficiently to ensure students' rights, cannot include content linked to the outside in teaching and collect fees from students?

Exactly. Those 7 lessons are the rights of students that must be guaranteed, all students must learn equally.

From a professional perspective, what do you think about schools linking up to teach life skills and STEM during regular school hours for primary school students?

As I said, 7 compulsory lessons per day are the rights of students and schools must ensure. However, integrating life skills and STEM into core subjects is the responsibility of teachers and schools. For example, in math lessons, teachers have the responsibility to integrate STEM into teaching so that students can understand, apply and be more excited in accordance with the spirit of the 2018 General Education Program. However, if the school assigns an outside unit to use core lessons to organize STEM education and charge students a fee, that is wrong.

Integrating STEM into core subjects is something that the Ministry of Education and Training is directing and encouraging institutions to implement, requiring school teachers to implement STEM education content in core subjects. STEM experience activities will be conducted through after-school clubs, based on students' needs.

The management according to the program framework has a very clear legal basis and guidance documents. How is the open part currently managed, sir?

Firstly, since 2014, the Ministry of Education and Training has issued Circular 04 on the management of life skills education and extracurricular activities. For example, when teaching English to foreigners, the joint program must be considered for its inheritance and suitability with the school's main curriculum to avoid cases where students have to study duplicate lessons, have to pay fees and put pressure on students. According to Circular 04, the management and assessment of this content is the responsibility of the provincial management agency. Thus, any place that is conducting joint teaching in schools has management and monitoring tools. If any place does something wrong or lacking, it must be condemned and corrected immediately.

Through recent feedback, I imagine that some schools have made mistakes in the process, when introducing linked educational content, they have not clearly stated where the educational content and activities will be located. If they are placed in regular school hours, it is certainly against the regulations of the Ministry of Education and Training in Circular 04. The state management agencies in the place where the school is located must conduct inspections and clarify those contents.

Elementary school timetables include "voluntary" subjects such as STEM, life skills...

In 2021, the Government issued Decree No. 24 dated March 29, 2021 on the management of public preschool and general education institutions. In which, Clause 2, Article 6 states that in the process of implementing the school's education plan, the school has the right to survey and cooperate with external forces to meet the needs of learners. In Clause 3, Article 7 of this Decree, it is stipulated that the funds collected from these joint activities are implemented according to the collection rate of the People's Council in the locality. Thus, the People's Council in that locality must have a thematic resolution on what contents and programs can be included in schools. Clause 2, Article 18 of Decree 24 assigns the provincial People's Committee to survey the locality to submit to the People's Council to issue a resolution on the list of educational services to be included in schools and the price range.

For example, when teaching English to foreigners in schools, the price frame is properly made, which will help reduce the cost of tuition fees for students compared to students studying at an outside center. The cost of facilities will be reduced due to the use of the school's own classrooms and the school's management and organization.

The announcement of the lists as prescribed in Decree 24 is aimed at managing to reduce the lowest cost for learners when bringing joint programs to schools. If the locality does not pay attention to doing this, it has not fulfilled its role and responsibility as a state manager, and the self-affiliated schools also have dual responsibilities.

Review the implementation process

The Ministry of Education and Training will send a document to localities requesting reports on state management work based on the above regulations as well as reviewing whether there are any problems in the implementation process, and recommending any additions or amendments. If Circular 04 has provisions that are no longer appropriate after nearly 10 years of implementation, the Ministry's functional units will evaluate and, if necessary, supplement or amend.

In addition, the Ministry of Education and Training also requested localities to study Decree 24 of the Government to seriously implement it in order to manage and rectify schools in educational cooperation activities. The Ministry will base on reports on the management status and proposals of localities based on documents such as Circular 04 and Decree 24 to have instructions or edit or propose to edit regulations to be more suitable to reality.

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