Nam Dan District Education and Training Department: Determined to innovate and develop

(Baonghean) - In response to the need to develop and improve the quality of comprehensive education, the Education and Training Department of Nam Dan district is determined to innovate, including selecting personnel work and arranging the team of managers and teachers in a more balanced and reasonable direction as a breakthrough in the new school year 2015 - 2016.

Efforts to complete education targets

In recent years, the network and facilities of schools and classrooms in general education in Nam Dan district have continued to develop quite synchronously, meeting the learning needs of children in the district. The whole district currently has 27 kindergartens; 26 primary schools; 20 secondary schools and 1 secondary school; 5 high schools; has completed universal primary education for the right age (of which, 22/24 communes and towns have universal primary education for the right age level 2) and universalized secondary education firmly in both quantity and quality. Notably, in 2015, Nam Dan was recognized by the Provincial People's Committee as a district that met the standards for universal preschool education for 5-year-old children...

The quality of education is of concern to the Nam Dan Education and Training sector with many practical solutions. In addition to investing in facilities, teaching and learning equipment, innovating the direction, inspection and evaluation of schools and the management staff, teachers more practically..., the emulation movements for creativity and innovation in teaching and learning methods between levels, schools and classes are taking place enthusiastically. Specifically, for preschool level, 100% of schools implement educational programs that ensure the goal of helping children develop physically, emotionally, intellectually, aesthetically, forming the first elements of personality, preparing children well for grade 1; at the same time, focusing on implementing the Project to universalize preschool education for 5-year-old children.

For primary school, effectively implement the "Hands kneading dough" method in teaching and learning to promote students' initiative. Implement the VNEN primary school model and teach Vietnamese for grade 1 according to educational technology documents in schools to improve students' ability to self-study, self-operate, experience, and cooperate, thereby forming new capacities for students. For secondary school, seriously implement the teaching plan according to knowledge and skills standards. Pay attention to moral education, life skills and implement career counseling and career orientation for students. Focus on fostering excellent students, tutoring, and tutoring to reduce the rate of weak students and dropouts, increase the rate of good and excellent students... For high school, innovate teaching methods, differentiate teaching based on knowledge and skills standards of the general education program; apply lesson preparation and teaching with electronic lesson plans.

Extracurricular activities at Nam Xuan Primary School (Nam Dan).

To meet the requirements of innovative teaching methods, the Nam Dan Education and Training sector focuses on improving the professional quality of the teaching staff. In particular, in Nam Dan, a very active movement of self-study and self-improvement has been created among the teaching staff. Thanks to that, 100% of teachers at all levels have met the standards, of which 85% of teachers have reached the level above the standard. The percentage of teachers achieving the title of excellent teachers at the district level at primary school is 8.3% and at secondary school is 14.6%. The percentage of excellent teachers at the provincial level at all levels in recent years has also been high, of which the secondary level has achieved 19/20 teachers participating in the competition, the primary level has achieved 12/14 teachers participating in the competition and the preschool level has achieved all 7/7 teachers participating in the competition.

To improve the quality of the teaching staff - a decisive factor in improving the quality of education, according to teacher Nguyen Lam Trach, Principal of Dang Chanh Ky Secondary School, at the beginning of each school year, the school organizes a competition registration campaign for each staff and teacher; linking teaching quality with evaluation and competition classification for teachers. Encourage teachers to innovate teaching methods, effectively use teaching aids and equipment, take students as the center of teaching... As for Nam Nghia Primary School, located in a difficult area, but thanks to many innovations in teaching and learning, it has become one of the bright spots in the teaching and learning movement... Teacher Nguyen Thi Hong, Principal of the school, said: "Every year, based on the plan of the District Department of Education and Training, managers and teachers are all involved in training courses to innovate management and teaching methods, innovate ways to evaluate students' learning outcomes to seriously implement in the school. In particular, by piloting a new teaching model in primary education, teachers are more attentive and closer to students; promoting the spirit of self-study, thinking ability and creativity of students...".

Mr. Le Trung Son, Head of the Department of Education and Training of Nam Dan district, said: Every year, the department always closely follows the tasks of each school year to implement them quite fully and seriously. Focus on innovating and gradually correcting the direction, inspection and general assessment of schools; evaluating and classifying managers and teachers in a more practical way. The work of evaluating educational results is in the direction of assessing learners' capacity combined with the end-of-semester and end-of-year tests, thereby creating a competitive motivation between schools, each manager and among the team of teachers, contributing to improving the quality of education, especially the quality of key points at all levels. In the 2014-2015 school year alone, the whole district had 50 grade 11 students achieving provincial excellent students; the high school graduation rate reached 92.7%. The quality of excellent students in the province at the secondary level is ranked 7th in the whole province, up 4 places compared to the 2013-2014 school year....

New resolutions

In fact, in recent years, the quality of education in Nam Dan district has tended to stagnate, especially the quality of the general education, besides there is an unevenness between regions... Therefore, many working sessions of the Standing Committee of the District Party Committee, the District People's Committee with the leaders of the District Department of Education and Training have analyzed and clarified the causes, showing that the structure of the management staff and teachers is still inadequate between regions and schools. Some schools lack 5-6 teachers, but some schools have 8-9 teachers in excess, in addition to the unreasonable structure between subjects. To ensure that there are teachers to teach all subjects, schools with shortages must contract with teachers (even though it is against the regulations), which means having to "withdraw" funds from other sources to pay salaries, affecting the general operation of the school. For schools with excess teachers, it is a waste of working days, because teachers only have to teach fewer classes than the regulations, creating inequality between schools in maintaining activities, improving the quality of education as well as ensuring rights. The case of local surplus - shortage of teachers in each school leads to schools having to arrange teachers to teach cross-subjects, affecting the quality of teaching and learning.

Mr. Dinh Xuan Que, Deputy Secretary of the District Party Committee, Chairman of the People's Committee of Nam Dan district, said: Recognizing the shortcomings, limitations, and inadequacies affecting the quality of education, at the beginning of the 2015-2016 school year, the Standing Committee of the District Party Committee and the People's Committee directed the Department of Education and Training to resolutely innovate the work of organizing cadres, implementing rotation and coordination of managers and teachers in a reasonable manner between regions and schools. On the basis of closely following Decree 108/2014/ND-CP, dated November 20, 2014 of the Government on the policy of streamlining payroll and the regulations of the district, the Department of Education and Training built the Project of job positions of the department, clearly defined the standards of the department's cadres, had to build working regulations, and assign specific tasks to each position in the department.

Accordingly, at the beginning of the 2015-2016 school year, 4 redundant staff members of the department were transferred to schools, and at the same time, 2 competent and prestigious staff members were transferred from the grassroots to the department, 1 person taking on the role of primary school specialist, 1 person taking on the role of preschool specialist. Along with that, the number of staff members and specialists of the department was reduced from 17 to 15. For schools, the district's policy is to resolutely not appoint more management staff and to carry out balanced transfers between schools. If the management staff in the transfer category does not comply with the decision or if they want to stay at the school, they must be transferred to become teachers...

Along with the solution for staff and teaching staff, the District Department of Education and Training, with its function as a direct advisory and management agency, also innovates its thinking in directing schools, strictly directing the implementation of regulations, and doing a good job of evaluating and classifying students according to new guidelines. The Department must assign leaders and specialists to direct each level of education and specific schools and organize the quality assignment of assigned schools in conjunction with the emulation targets of the department's staff and specialists. Direct school principals to organize the evaluation and classification of staff, teachers, and employees accurately and in accordance with regulations in order from highest to lowest to serve as criteria for arranging, assigning, and transferring staff and teachers for the following year...

It can be said that innovative viewpoints and ideas, especially issues related to people, cadres and staff, are very sensitive, sometimes encountering opposing opinions, but with the determination for a developing educational movement in the coming time, the Education and Training sector of Nam Dan district is changing and accepting to face the difficulties and challenges that are arising to continue to affirm the tradition of studiousness and good study in Uncle Ho's homeland, contributing to improving the quality of human resources for the locality in particular and for the province and the country in general.

Minh Chi