Director of Nghe An Department of Education and Training: Be proactive and adaptive to successfully complete the tasks of the new school year

PV:Dear Professor, Dr. Thai Van Thanh, Nghe An Education sector has just concluded a school year with many outstanding results. In that overall success, there is a contribution from the implementation of educational quality assessment and accreditation in schools throughout the sector. Could you share more about this and the sector's next plan for the 2024-2025 school year?

Prof. Dr. Thai Van Thanh:The 2023-2024 school year is the third year that the Nghe An Department of Education and Training has implemented a plan to ensure the quality of general education in the province and achieved high results, creating a breakthrough in fundamental and comprehensive innovation in education.

In particular, the Nghe An Education sector launched the emulation movement "90 days and nights determined to achieve high results in the 2024 High School Graduation Exam" with practical results and created a vibrant and exciting competitive environment, arousing the tradition of studiousness, love of learning and good study of Nghe An students. The results of the 2024 High School Graduation Exam were ranked 12th out of 63 provinces and cities, up 10 places compared to 2023.

This is an outstanding result of Nghe An Education sector, showing that we not only leave our mark on the quality of key education but also have remarkable progress in the quality of general education, bringing Nghe An to the top of the country.

From the success at the high school level, in the 2024-2025 school year, Nghe An Education Department continues to promote the implementation of the education quality assurance model, in which priority is given to promoting the quality of secondary school and then primary school. The commitment to quality aims to implement the Party and State's direction of real learning, real exams, real quality. Or in particular, according to the industry's theory, it is good teaching, good learning, good management and real quality.

To implement this model, we continue to evaluate the input for each level of education and on that basis, we will implement output standards for students. Specifically, this year for secondary school, we will evaluate the input standards for 6th grade students and hand over the quality to schools. Teachers must sign a commitment with the school on all aspects so that after each school year, students will have comprehensive progress and development.

The implementation of the model and the responsibility attached to each teacher is also the basis for the future implementation of emulation, rewards, and honoring of teachers accurately, avoiding the situation of leveling and subjective evaluation. Those who have not been awarded should also look back at their professional responsibilities to make efforts and strive together.

In addition to this content, in the coming school year, the Education sector will also properly implement the direction of the Ministry of Education and Training on educational tasks and pay more attention to mountainous education with many development policies of its own specific characteristics.

PV:Currently, Nghe An is implementing many educational models in schools. The implementation process has advantages but also difficulties and shortcomings. So in the coming time, what adjustments will the education sector make to suit the reality?

Prof. Dr. Thai Van Thanh:Up to this point, it can be said that the implementation of key models and high-quality school models in Nghe An has been very favorable because of the investment and support of the State. Thanks to that, the schools have promoted their leading, pioneering role, leading the educational activities of the school cluster and the district very well.

The assessment shows that all 6 criteria set for key schools have been met and are of outstanding quality, including the teaching staff, student education quality, facilities and school environment. Currently, some districts are replicating key schools in the district and the industry is also proposing to the province to continue implementing this model in the coming period.

With the advanced school model, the industry has been implementing for 3 years and has 1 more year to complete the first cycle. After completing the cycle, we will evaluate, review and adjust the 9 criteria that have been built.

The current difficulty in building this model is that investment resources are limited because they mainly come from local resources and social mobilization from parents.

In addition, the initial program design did not meet the given criteria, so the curriculum did not promote the abilities, strengths, orientations, and desires of parents and students... The industry will adjust these shortcomings and inadequacies, hopefully after one cycle it will be better.

PV:Teacher shortage is still a difficult problem for the education sector in the 2024-2025 school year. So what solutions has the sector had to help schools stabilize teaching and learning in the new school year?

Prof. Dr. Thai Van Thanh:Like many other localities in the country, Nghe An is currently lacking thousands of teachers at all four levels of education. Therefore, the sector has recently advised the province and related departments and agencies to continue to propose and request the Central Government to supplement the staffing for localities.

With the current difficulties, the industry has also had specific instructions in the past. In particular, with many districts lacking many IT teachers, the industry has directed localities to increase training for second degrees for teachers to ensure enough teachers to teach. With English, the shortage of teachers is also happening in many localities, even some units have quotas but do not have teachers to recruit.

Therefore, in the 2024-2025 school year, in addition to teaching in person, we have calculated that we must teach online, and this sector is fully capable of supporting mountainous districts. However, I also emphasize that if there is a shortage of teachers, localities must proactively report and not implement it in an imposed, mechanical manner, wasting human resources and facilities.

For other subjects, in the current context, I hope schools will continue to encourage and motivate teachers to continue to share with the industry, teach extra hours, and increase periods to compensate for the shortage of teachers in schools, ensuring that it does not affect students' learning.

PV:In the 2024-2025 school year, exams will be conducted according to the new general education program, including the Competency Assessment Test - one of the exams that many parents and students are particularly interested in. So, what directions will the industry have so that schools, teachers, and students will not be passive in the implementation process?

Prof. Dr. Thai Van Thanh:As for the Competency Assessment Test, in Vietnam, it is currently being implemented with scales including recognition, understanding, and application. Unlike traditional exams in the past, students only memorize, reproduce, understand problems or do exercises according to models. But now, with the Competency Assessment Test, students not only have the skills to solve exercises but also have to know the skills to apply knowledge to solve practical exercises, students must understand the nature of the problem.

Faced with this change, in recent times, the industry has invited teams of experts to train with core teams to design competency tests, organize teaching and learning according to competency development so that students are familiar with this test and have the skills to take this test. The industry has also strengthened the direction of professional activities with core teams of the industry, districts and schools so that schools can be proactive in the implementation process. Before the new school year, the industry has also announced the structure of the competency assessment test, the matrix of test specifications early so that schools and educational institutions know how to organize teaching, assessment and testing of students.

PV:As the head of the Education sector, on the eve of the new school year, what message do you want to send to schools and teachers in your province?

Prof. Dr. Thai Van Thanh:As I have shared, the 2024-2025 school year is a special year for the entire education sector. Therefore, entering the new school year, I hope that schools need to pay attention to the conditions to ensure teaching and learning, from the educational environment, facilities, teaching equipment, ensuring safety and security for both teachers and students, how to create an exciting atmosphere to achieve the goals set for the school year.

For the teaching staff, I hope that you will educate students with all your love and affection, and devote yourself wholeheartedly, wholeheartedly, and wholeheartedly to the teaching profession and to the cause of educating people. In addition, unite, join hands, join efforts, and join hearts with parents, students, and the whole society to take the best care of your children's education.

From the next school year, the school year ends a cycle of implementing the new General Education Program with many changes in testing and assessment methods. Therefore, I hope that teachers will overcome difficulties to support students, help students adapt to the new assessment methods and have high exam results.

PV:Thank you Professor Thai Van Thanh!