10 wishes of teachers sent to new Minister of Education and Training Phung Xuan Nha

Immediately after the National Assembly elected Mr. Phung Xuan Nha as Minister of Education and Training, a social networking site for teachers posted a “letter” to the new Minister, proposing 10 wishes of teachers. These proposals received the support of a large number of teachers in the forum.

1/Pedagogy students get jobs after graduation

Many years ago, pedagogy was a "hot" field, teachers had jobs right after graduating. Times have changed now. Unemployment is a concern for any student about to graduate, not just pedagogy students. We always tell each other: Now that we graduate, there are few teaching opportunities and it is easy to "be uneducated".

Teachers expect a "breath of fresh air" from the new Minister

Dear "commander", I am still waiting for an accurate statistic to see what percentage of pedagogical students graduate and find a job or have to work as a factory worker or go to the market to trade. Seeing my friends who studied like me, one works for Canon, the other assembles phones at Samsung, better off than working as a garment worker, I feel so sorry, "commander".

Some people are lucky enough to teach on contract, but after more than ten years they still haven't been hired, their salary is meager, and there are no benefits, so their whole family depends on their teacher's salary. In the countryside it's better, but for many of us in the city it's very difficult and hard to talk about.

Every year, tens of thousands of pedagogical students graduate and face the fear of unemployment. Every province has pedagogical schools, at least one, at most two or three; some are intermediate, some are college, some are university. Training is widespread, anyone who wants to become a teacher can do it.

The widespread training of teachers leads to the state having to pay too much money (tuition is free for teacher training students) for education, and graduates cannot find jobs.

2/ Salary increase

Some teachers earn money by tutoring (in reality, teaching illegally), but the majority of us teachers survive on SALARY. With more than 3 million VND, it is difficult to support ourselves, let alone our families. Many teachers whose school is several dozen kilometers away from home, whose monthly salary is just enough to buy gas, still ask their parents for money every month. When someone in the family is sick, ill, or has a family matter, many teachers do not dare to go to the doctor, do not dare to return to their hometown.

No one wants to get rich by teaching, but everyone wants their family to not have to suffer, to be able to show their gratitude to their parents. Why do families whose parents work in the military (for a limited period) get tuition exemptions, but families whose parents work in education do not? We take care of other people's children with all our heart, but we don't know who to turn to for our own children.

Raising teachers’ salaries does not mean excessive demands on them, but rather the respect of society for education. Only when teachers no longer struggle to make ends meet for themselves and their families, will education be given its true value.

3/ Remove Circular 30

When it comes to Circular 30, most teachers acknowledge the correctness of its objectives. However, the way it is implemented is really problematic. Students are learning less and less, teachers are overwhelmed with piles of books and comments. Even the collection of comments for teachers according to Circular 30 compiled by Page Tong is a hot document, passed around by tens of thousands of teachers.

Primary school student grading

Teachers take advantage of every opportunity to give comments, even during lunchtime, recess, and home, they bury their heads in preparing lesson plans and notebooks. Teachers have to think of ways to praise students without scolding them.

The "self-indulgent" way of education has harmed students. Many people think that grading students is the cause of pressure in education. In fact, it is the excessive expectations of families and social reality that create pressure in education.

4/ Reduce paperwork and books

Seeing papers and books is a nightmare for many teachers. Books even creep into their dreams, becoming a nightmare for many teachers.

Before class, in addition to lesson plans, teachers sit down to write homeroom books, education quality monitoring books, weekly books, meeting books, handover books... Teachers' biggest dream is to reduce these types of books to focus on the main work.

5/ Return teachers to students

A few months ago, many teachers reported that teachers had to take on the responsibility of collecting insurance premiums from students. When students did not pay insurance, teachers had to lobby because their superiors imposed quotas. If a class had a student who did not pay, the teacher would be considered for disqualification. This story is true! It's just that teachers were afraid of trouble, so they didn't dare complain, and even if they did, it wouldn't reach the leaders.

Teachers have to play many roles: teaching, educating, psychologist, judge, security guard, treasurer... Reducing other burdens will focus all resources on carrying out educational tasks.

6/ Eliminate the excellent teacher exam and popularize based on achievements

Teaching is an art, and the teacher is an artist. Every year, all localities enthusiastically organize competitions for excellent teachers. For a teacher to compete, a series of other teachers and their families jump in, from lesson plans, training, scripts, and teachers performing.

Every year is the same. A good teacher is not a good actor. I hope our Ministry will stop these types of competitions to avoid the spread of the disease of achievement. Many teachers just want to be good teachers, not good teachers in this way.

Not stopping there, universalization also causes many students to sit in the wrong class. The story of students entering secondary school who still cannot read and write is true. I hope the commander will consider this, respect the reality and not chase after false achievements.

7/ Abandon Experience Initiative

Every year, teachers are required to write a report of experience. How can teachers come up with so many reports of experience? So teachers copy and paste from each other to submit. Luckily, recently our Ministry has a regulation to abolish the report of experience, but in many places it has not been abolished, "commander".

8/ Empower teachers

Educating students is one of the teachers' responsibilities. However, students rarely go to school, and spend most of their time with their families. Many families blame teachers for their children's misbehavior. Teachers do not dare to scold students who are rude, or punish them severely for fighting because they are afraid that they will think badly of themselves, or tell their parents, and if their parents report it to the principal, they will be in trouble. Who will protect teachers at times like this?

Parents just want to give envelopes to fulfill their responsibility, many children go out into society to practice bad habits: smoking, swearing, fighting...

Nowadays, teachers still tell each other that if students are rude, just ignore them, finish the lesson and go home, otherwise they will lose their jobs. Many teachers still have professional conscience, try to encourage them gently but it doesn't work, so they have to scold, discipline them severely, and even be ready to whip them to force them to study and become good people.

If possible, I hope the commander will give teachers more authority to actively teach students in every way within the allowed scope. If they continue to beat and scold, they still love their students. The peak of indifference is to ignore them.

If possible, our Ministry should require parents to take extra classes on how to raise their children with the school each school year. Many parents are still indifferent and do not know how to properly educate their children. Schools cannot be alone and isolate themselves into an oasis.

9/ Remove VNEN

This model is really not suitable in Vietnam. Many teachers say that learning should be selective and should only be done in some places. With this way of learning, good students will benefit, while poor students will get worse.

VNEN New Model School

10/ Listen to your teacher's opinion

Our ministry is in the process of reforming, and teachers are very supportive of the reform. But how to reform, how to do it, let's listen to the opinions of teachers - the ones who directly implement the reform. Before doing something that will have a profound impact on teachers, please give us direct feedback.

Many institutions only have leaders to give their opinions, and fear of offending their superiors, so they deliberately speak in a supportive and sympathetic manner, but do not dare to express different opinions. I think that the criticism of teachers and the comments of students and parents are the important foundation to put innovation in the right direction.

“Many people are afraid to speak out because they think it is sensitive, but I believe the new minister will understand better than anyone the difficulties of teachers” – the author wrote./.

According to VOV