Preserving the image of teachers

PV:Dear Professor, Dr. Thai Van Thanh, I know that you have worked in the education sector for nearly 30 years, most of which was spent training and fostering students in the Pedagogical sector. So, how has the training of ethics and personality of teachers in pedagogical schools been carried out? Are there any difficulties in the current period?

Prof. Dr. Thai Van Thanh:Pedagogical schools are considered as the “main machine” to train teachers and create human resources for the country. Therefore, in the pedagogical environment, great attention is paid to the exemplary role of teachers. Teachers in any era must have the ability to understand children, educate children, love their profession, be dedicated and passionate about their profession...

In the current period, facing new tasks such as international integration, intellectual revolution, and technology 4.0, the requirements of society for teachers need to be higher. However, objectively speaking, the current training program has not met the requirements of teachers. The reason is that it is difficult for pedagogical students to find jobs after graduation, so it is difficult for pedagogical schools to recruit good and excellent students. And, once the input is not good, the training will be different and more difficult.

In addition, the training programs in teacher training colleges are currently mostly training in the direction of content approach. Meanwhile, to meet the requirements of teachers in today's society, the training program must shift to a competency approach, forming output standards to meet new requirements, and supplementing new competencies. Especially the ability to adapt, critical thinking, global thinking, conflict resolution, behavior control and prevention of social evils such as school violence.

PV:Regardless of the era, teachers are always a moral standard for society to follow. However, nowadays, many teachers have "deviant" actions with offensive and inhumane behaviors... As someone who has spent many years in the career of educating people, what do you think when there are comments that "teacher ethics are deteriorating"?

Prof. Dr. Thai Van Thanh:As a teacher, you must be exemplary in class, outside of school and in life. That is why society always has high demands on teachers and respects and honors the teaching profession.

It is truly regrettable that recently there has been a phenomenon of teachers committing school violence and insulting the dignity of students. However, I personally think that these are just a few isolated cases. We cannot rely on this small number to generalize that "teacher ethics are deteriorating". Around us there are still many examples of dedication, devotion to students, for the progress of students and we must believe that the vast majority of teachers are always exemplary, pure, and devoted to students.

PV:Obviously, the “bad apples” are “spoiling the barrel” and are invisibly affecting the good image that the education sector has been building for many years. Is it because teachers are currently under too much pressure?

Prof. Dr. Thai Van Thanh:Yes, due to the development requirements of society, it has also had a great impact and influence on social life. For example, when integrating deeply into the world, many different cultures will be introduced, both good and bad. Meanwhile, students do not have enough maturity in personality to reject social evils, so teachers are required to understand, grasp and have the courage to help their students overcome temptations and strive to become good students.

I still remember our homeroom teacher in high school. Back then, my friends and I were naive and often made mistakes. However, she was always tolerant of us with true affection, like a sister, a mother, an aunt. She also often contacted parents, and if there were any problems, she would guide parents in how to educate and supervise their children. The punishment was also very skillful, with the purpose of making students realize their mistakes and having help and closeness so that students could progress day by day.

PV:Currently, in terms of criteria, Nghe An's teaching staff is considered to be standard and above standard. However, in addition to the Law on Civil Servants, teachers are also regulated by regulations on teachers' ethics and 11 prohibitions (according to Decision 16/2008 of the Minister of Education and Training). How do you evaluate the implementation of these regulations in schools in the province?

Prof. Dr. Thai Van Thanh:Nghe An is a land of talented people, with a tradition of learning, so it has also produced many good, prestigious and unique teachers. The greatest value is creating the brand name "Nghe An's calligraphers".

In recent years, the implementation of the 11 prohibitions in the teaching staff of the province has been carried out quite systematically and synchronously. However, in the current context, due to social pressure, it is inevitable that there will be impacts on teachers. Certainly, in the industry, there are still teachers who cannot control their psychology, do not have the courage and still create disorderly behaviors. In addition, it is also inevitable that among tens of thousands of people, there will be a few people with personality... The industry's view is that if they are weak in expertise, they will be trained and fostered. However, if they violate teachers' ethics, the industry will handle them seriously.

PV:Recently, although he has just taken up the task, he has spent a lot of time visiting schools in remote areas of the province. These are also places where there are still many difficulties in teaching and learning, and the quality is not consistent. Has the teaching staff here met the requirements of the task?

Prof. Dr. Thai Van Thanh:Through the trips, I have a deeper understanding of the reality and difficulties, hardships of the education sector, of the teachers and students. There are many bright examples of dedication here and if we were to grade them on their dedication, they would certainly be above standard.

However, for many different reasons, the quality of teachers in the highlands is still inadequate. Some teachers are old, so it is very difficult to meet the new requirements and will certainly require further training. I have also directed the Department of Education of mountainous districts to have a realistic assessment with a flexible and tactful approach, not affecting the prestige of teachers. We must know what teachers are weak in, what they lack in order to improve them, so that they can meet and exceed the standards. My point of view is that there are many ways to assess, but assessment that creates inferiority complex for teachers is not advisable.

PV:During his lifetime, Uncle Ho said: "If there are good teachers, there will be good methods, and therefore, there will be good students. If there are bad teachers, it will be difficult to make up for them." So in the coming time, what changes must the education sector make to build a team of teachers in the province that are "both red and professional" and to return teachers to their rightful position?

Prof. Dr. Thai Van Thanh:To improve the province's teaching staff, we must first improve the awareness of the management team. School leaders, in addition to their expertise, must have passion, responsibility, vision and creativity. In particular, they must have a vision to lead the school they are in charge of to meet the growing and developing requirements. Creativity to manage change, to have new ideas, to improve teaching and learning management, to improve the organization of diverse and rich activities in the school, to build a healthy and friendly educational environment.

The sector must also review the team of teacher managers, review their capacity to build a truly strong core team. On that basis, they will be responsible for supporting, training, and fostering teacher managers, creating an environment of sharing, spreading, and cooperation throughout the sector. We will also advise the Provincial People's Committee on policies and mechanisms to make schools autonomous, creative, and developed. Teachers and managers have mechanisms to compete in teaching and learning. At the same time, it is necessary to build advanced school models to be good cores, leading other general schools.

PV: Thank you Professor, Dr. Thai Van Thanh!

Content: My Ha, Technique: Thanh Cuong