National Assembly Chairman asks Minister of Education and Training not to blame subordinates for controversial regulations

On the morning of October 31, the National Assembly's questioning session continued atMinister of Education and Training Phung Xuan Nha answered two questions from National Assembly delegates about children's participation rights when participating in the Law on Education (amended) and the controversial regulation that "pedagogical students who sell sex for the fourth time will be forced to drop out of school".

Minister of Education and Training Phung Xuan Nha.

Regarding the draft regulation on expelling students who sell sex four times, Minister of Education and Training Phung Xuan Nha said that there are many regulations in circulars of the education sector, and the Ministry is reviewing them. In particular, the circular regulating expelling students for selling sex has been in existence since 2007, and was also included in the 2016 circular.

During the review, the Ministry of Education and Training found that these regulations were no longer appropriate and needed to be removed and revised. However, due to limited capacity and poor sense of responsibility of the staff, they were brought up, causing a wave of public opinion. Immediately after that, the Ministry of Education and Training directed that this content be handled immediately and not included in the circular.

Speaking on this issue, National Assembly Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan suggested that the Ministry of Education and Training should remove unreasonable circulars that cause social discontent. An issue that has not been discussed thoroughly but is widely posted online causing outrage needs to be carefully considered.

Speaking after Minister Phung Xuan Nha's response, delegate Pham Thi Minh Hien (Phu Yen delegation) did not see the Minister take responsibility but instead shifted the blame to another individual. According to delegate Minh Hien, only when the Minister takes responsibility as the leader and recognizes the capacity of the industry apparatus can the dignity of education be restored.

"I hope the Minister will look straight at reality, not avoid it or influence it," said Ms. Hien.

Next, National Assembly Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan reiterated the statement of delegate Kim Hien and asked the Minister of Education and Training to learn from experience.

Will take wide student opinion forLaw on Education (amended)

Regarding the question of children's participation rights when participating in the Law on Education (amended), Minister of Education and Training Phung Xuan Nha said that the Ministry has reported to the Government and submitted to the National Assembly Standing Committee for consideration and comments while drafting, supplementing and amending a number of articles of the Law on Education (amended). The Ministry of Education and Training recognizes that the Law on Education (amended) is related to everyone, every family, so it is necessary to widely collect public opinions.

The Ministry of Education and Training has also asked the Departments of Education and Training to collect opinions from parents and students. In the Draft Law on Education (amended), there is an entire chapter on learners, so the Ministry sees that it is very important to collect opinions from secondary and high school students. Although they cannot decide on major issues, their opinions on the Law on Education (amended) need to be listened to. In the near future, collecting students' opinions on the Law on Education (amended) will be implemented more practically and effectively.