Parents reflect: 'VNEN is only suitable for capable students'
(Baonghean.vn) -In recent days, there have been many opinions surrounding the implementation of the new VNEN school model. Parents have reflected on some shortcomings in the implementation process of the model as well as proposed wishes to improve the effectiveness of teaching and learning for their children.
Transfer school because... child is poor student
Entering the 2016-2017 school year, many parents expressed concerns about the VNEN model when there was information about stopping the program in some provinces and cities, including Ha Tinh. Particularly in Vinh City, since the beginning of August, many parents at Hung Dung Primary School and Nguyen Trai Primary School have submitted applications to transfer their children to other schools.
The common mentality of many parents is: Studying according to VNEN can only provide students with basic knowledge and not advanced knowledge like the traditional curriculum.
This makes parents worry about their children's academic performance after finishing primary school. If they study in secondary schools according to the traditional curriculum, they will fall behind and learn less than their peers. If they continue to study according to the VNEN curriculum, will they have to take the same exam questions as other students when they take the high school entrance exam? Is that fair?
Ms. Duong Thanh Tra (Grade 4, Quan Bau Ward) said: "The new school program encourages children to study by themselves and in groups, so it is only suitable for capable and bold students. But my child is getting weaker and weaker because he is shy. Besides, I see that the VNEN program mainly allows children to explore on their own while primary school students are still young and do not have self-awareness."
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| Students of Nguyen Trai Primary School (Quan Bau Ward) - one of two schools in Vinh City piloting the VNEN model. |
On the morning of August 23, many parents came to Nguyen Trai Primary School to protest the decision to let their children study under the new school model. Ms. Tran Thi Nga - Principal of the school confirmed this information: "From the beginning of August until now, there have been about 7 cases coming to ask to transfer their children to another school... This is the 5th year that Nguyen Trai Primary School has implemented teaching under the new VNEN school model and the request to transfer schools has also taken place in previous years."
However, parents said that transferring their children to another school is not easy and requires approval from the City Department of Education and Training. Moreover, the general situation is that schools in the area are under great pressure regarding student numbers.
Ms. Nguyen Thi Huong (Grade 8, Quan Bau Ward) has 2 children studying the VNEN program. The eldest child has 5 years of studying the VNEN program (4 years of primary school at Nguyen Trai Primary School and 1 year of secondary school at Le Loi Secondary School).
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| Parents of Nguyen Trai Primary School (Vinh City) expressed their concerns to reporters. |
Some concerns and feedback from parents of Nguyen Trai Primary School: + Sitting posture is not correct, directly affects the spine, shoulders and eyesight. + Children absorb the new curriculum slowly and the results are not positive. + There is little homework in class, primary school students cannot study or discuss by themselves. + Currently, Quan Bau Ward does not have a secondary school. During the transition from Nguyen Trai Primary School to Le Loi Secondary School, students are isolated and have difficulty integrating with their peers from other schools. The physical facilities at Le Loi Secondary School also do not meet the requirements for teaching and learning according to the new school model. |
Ms. Huong said: "Compared to her friends, she is much weaker. We have to send her to extra classes to supplement her knowledge, which is both difficult and expensive."
"Learning from experience" with her first child, she now firmly wants to transfer her second child, who is studying VNEN at Nguyen Trai Primary School. However, the transfer has not been resolved yet, making the parents frustrated.
In response to this incident, the City Department of Education and Training also chaired a meeting with parents to listen to feedback.
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| Leaders of the City Department of Education had a dialogue with people at Nguyen Trai Primary School this morning (August 23). |
Inadequacies in preparation work
Through practical research, the implementation of the VNEN program in Nghe An today reveals many shortcomings stemming from the lack of uniformity in human resources and facilities. For example, the program requires students to study in conditions of guaranteed facilities and small class sizes. Meanwhile, schools in Nghe An, especially in Vinh City, are in a state of overload.
Apart from the first 73 primary schools that were piloted (with a support budget of about 100 million VND/year, students are supported with textbooks), currently the investment for VNEN is only zero. Parents whose children study under the new program have to buy textbooks that are twice as expensive as the current program, not to mention the contributions to decorate the classroom and buy equipment for learning.
The human resources preparation work was also not really effective, only stopping at a few training sessions at the beginning of the school year for teachers. The implementation of the program at the secondary level was too hasty, not meeting many standards set by the new program.
| Mr. Thai Khac Tan, Head of the Department of Education and Training, Vinh City: "The implementation of the New School model over the first 4 years has had advantages. However, there are still difficulties such as the current inadequate facilities, overcrowded class sizes affecting the quality of teaching and learning..." |
Teacher Ninh Viet Tang, Principal of Hung Dung Secondary School, said: "Currently, the conditions for teaching according to the new school model at the school are not guaranteed. The school mainly tries to overcome it itself and does not dare to ask for support from parents because parents themselves are not interested."
From the 2012-2013 school year to the 2015-2016 school year: The VNEN New School pilot program was implemented in 73 primary schools in the whole province (accounting for 14.1%) with 1,047 classes and 27,030 students participating (of which, students from ethnic minority mountainous areas accounted for 70%). The total project budget allocated to Nghe An province from 2013 to 2016 was: 47,802,546,000 VND. Of which, the types of funds allocated to schools were: 34,105,620,000 VND; budget for project management in the province (including provincial training budget, business expenses, salaries of the consulting team, stationery): 13,696,940 VND. By the end of 2015, the amount of funds settled was: 39,669,339,000, accounting for 94.3% of the funds granted from 2013 to 2015. The remaining funds were used for the Project's activities until May 31, 2016. From the 2015-2016 school year: The New School Program continued to be piloted for 26 secondary schools in the area. However, during this period, there was no project support. During the implementation process, there were difficulties because the number of secondary school students was large and the physical facilities were mostly inadequate. In the first year, many parents requested to transfer schools because they did not support the teaching and learning according to the new school program. |
My Ha - Canh Nam
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