Absolutely do not let students suffer from '3 shortcomings'

On the afternoon of August 22, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh attended and co-chaired the conference to review the 2024-2025 school year and deploy tasks for the 2025-2026 year.

Speaking at the conference, Mr. Nguyen Dac Vinh, Chairman of the National Assembly's Committee on Culture and Social Affairs, proposed to ensure that state budget spending on education and training reaches at least 20% according to the law. According to Mr. Vinh, in the past 3 years, this spending level has not reached 18%. In response, Mr. Bui Van Khang, Deputy Minister of Finance , said that in 2025, the total budget for education is estimated at about 496,000 billion VND, not reaching 20% ​​as prescribed. However, there is a situation of slow disbursement in many ministries, branches and localities. In 2026, the total estimated spending for education is 630,000 billion VND, an increase of 134,000 billion VND compared to 2025, reaching at least 20% of the total budget as prescribed, and may increase further. The Ministry of Finance also noted that localities spend at least 5% of total budget revenue on education, and higher education institutions spend at least 3%. Propose that localities make detailed estimates for education and training to invest in educational infrastructure, purchase equipment, and recruit teachers.

Ms. Tran Thi Dieu Thuy, Vice Chairwoman of the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee, said that one of the annual challenges is the local shortage of teachers. Ms. Thuy recommended that the Ministry of Education and Training study and advise on policies to support non-public teachers because this group in Ho Chi Minh City is "shouldering" nearly 50% of the tasks of preschool education but the policies to attract and reward them are not satisfactory.

In addition, to meet the requirement that every high school student must study an art subject, it is necessary to remove difficulties for facilities in recruiting teachers of fine arts and music because there is a shortage of teachers... According to Ms. Thuy, if teachers of these subjects are required to also have a university degree in art, it will be very difficult to recruit.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh delivered a concluding speech at the conference.

PHOTO: VNA

In his concluding remarks, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh acknowledged the results achieved by the education and training sector in recent times in 36 words: "Perfect institutions; streamlined apparatus; improved quality; professional exams; upgraded teachers; expanded integration; spacious facilities; developed science; early blooming talents". The Prime Minister also pointed out the remaining limitations and shortcomings, with 8 issues, encapsulated in 32 words: "Inadequate programs, fragmented scale, unbalanced professions, low ethics, lack of skills, insufficient teachers, unconnected networks, passive funding". From that reality, the Prime Minister suggested that the education sector continue to focus on effectively implementing the main viewpoints and orientations: students are the center and subject; teachers are the driving force; schools are the support; families are the fulcrum; society is the foundation.

"We absolutely must not let students lack schools, lack classrooms; lack teachers; lack food and clothing," the Prime Minister emphasized, citing data that the country is still short of more than 100,000 teachers, but there are still 60,000 positions assigned to localities that have not been recruited. The Prime Minister suggested reviewing the causes to find appropriate solutions; the Ministry of Education and Training should soon coordinate with the Ministry of Home Affairs to review and direct the recruitment of teachers, so that by the beginning of the school year there is still a shortage of teachers.

Primary school students enter the new school year 2025-2026

Photo: Dao Ngoc Thach

Regarding the implementation of the 2018 General Education Program, the Prime Minister noted that when implementing the policy of socializing textbooks, it is necessary to ensure savings and fight against corruption, especially in the printing and selling of textbooks. According to the Prime Minister, although business must be profitable, textbooks are special products, and need to be placed above the responsibilities, obligations, feelings and hearts of those who make books when thinking about students; should not find every way to make money from textbooks, from the hardships of people when buying books for their children...

At the conference, the leaders of the Ministry of Education and Training also affirmed that this school year, they will implement recruitment and use up all assigned teacher positions for the period 2022 - 2026; review the current number of teachers, propose to supplement the teacher position for the period 2026 - 2030 to overcome the shortage of teachers, especially implementing teaching 2 sessions/day for general education and implementing universal preschool for children from 3 to 5 years old.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/dut-khoat-khong-de-hoc-sinh-chiu-3-cai-thieu-185250822235327902.htm