Nghe An Education continues to strive to carry out the 'dual' task of the 2021-2022 school year

On the eve of the new school year, Nghe An Newspaper interviewed Prof. Dr. Thai Van Thanh - Member of the Provincial Party Executive Committee, Director of the Department of Education and Training.

The new school year is unprecedented.

PV: Sir, with the current complicated epidemic situation, what changes will the 2021-2022 school year in Nghe An have compared to previous school years?

Prof. Dr. MeritoriousThai Van Thanh:Due to the complicated developments of the Covid-19 epidemic in the country in general and Nghe An in particular, the plan and time frameschool year2021 – 2022 has many changes compared to the original plan.

Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee and Director of the Department of Education and Training Thai Van Thanh visits an English class for ethnic minority students in Ky Son district. Photo: MH

Specifically, previously, according to the plan, students in Nghe An province would return to school on September 1, but at this time, the Nghe An Education Department has decided not to return to school. The opening ceremony will also not be held as every year but will only be held at a single location at Phan Boi Chau High School for the Gifted in a simple, concise format and broadcast live on television to all teachers and students in the province.

Although this is unprecedented, we hope that organizing the opening ceremony via television will create conditions for all students in the province to attend a solemn and meaningful opening ceremony, creating joy and motivation to enter the new school year.

Due to the impact of the epidemic, the opening ceremony of the new school year will be held online. Photo: Le Thanh

Immediately after the opening ceremony, the whole province will organize online teaching for all levels from September 6. As for preschool education, teaching and learning will not be organized for the time being. In the coming time, when the epidemic has stabilized, preschools will organize for children to return to school and at the same time organize a school festival for children.

PV: So, in the current situation, organizing direct teaching is not feasible and will certainly pose many dangers when having to gather a large number of people. However, there are still many concerns about switching to online teaching. What instructions will Nghe An Education Department have to make the organization effective?

Prof. Dr. Thai Van Thanh:Online teaching for students from grades 1 to 12 is the most optimal solution at present and the Department of Education and Training has organized it since the previous school year. Currently, the Department of Education and Training has also worked with network operators to complete the LMS system - Smart Education Management Center and this will support and create conditions for Nghe An Education to effectively implement online teaching and ensure quality. To teach online, it is important to have a server with wide bandwidth, ensuring a stable connection. However, Nghe An is a large province with a very large number of students. Therefore, we have a plan to divide the study time between levels to limit network congestion and ensure quality transmission.

Nghe An teachers participate in training to prepare for the online teaching program. Photo: MH

Compared to face-to-face teaching, online teaching will certainly have many difficulties and in reality only support teachers and schools in the context of fighting the epidemic with knowledge in the simplified part and the parts that students study on their own with the guidance of teachers. The knowledge that requires basic, core, focus and prerequisites for students to be able to study in the upper grades will be deployed when the epidemic subsides and students can go to school to teach directly to ensure quality.

One of the most difficult problems today inonline teachingIt is a matter of means and equipment. Currently, in the lowland districts, over the past school year, they have both completed and supplemented, and now about 90% of students can study online. In the mountainous districts alone, it is estimated that 60% of students can attend.

We have directed the Department of Education and Training to require schools to grasp the situation and characteristics of students and their families to have support plans. Particularly for education in mountainous areas, there will be a combination of online and in-person. For remote villages without the epidemic, teachers must receive tasks from the professional team leader, from the school and assign work to students. In the current context, the sector may mobilize more preschool teachers who have not yet gone to school to support primary and secondary school teachers in traveling between schools to deliver homework to students.

For first and second graders, because they are still young, online learning will have some disadvantages. Given this reality, the Department has assigned the Department of Education and Training of Vinh City and a number of other districts and towns to organize sample lectures and create a learning material system for first graders across the province to participate in. We also advocate implementing simple lessons to help children get used to going to school, from holding a pen, how to sit, how to pronounce...

We also determined that at this time, learning cannot be rushed. When the epidemic has stabilized, we can increase the time to study at school, including studying 2 sessions a day or studying extra on Saturdays and Sundays. This will be the golden time to supplement the missing knowledge. Parents do not need to worry too much, because we determine that teaching and learning will be done step by step, slowly but surely.

Efforts for dear students

Reporter: Sir, in the 2021-2022 school year, the Education sector will continue to implement the education innovation roadmap according to the 2018 General Education Program and continue to replace textbooks for students in grades 2 and 6. So, entering the new school year, how has the Nghe An Education sector prepared?

Prof. Dr. Thai Van Thanh:To implement the educational innovation program, Nghe An has also been very methodical in training teachers and is a leading province in the country. The province has also spent a lot of money to invest in facilities, especially for the first, second and sixth grade programs and has proactively provided them to cities and towns to prepare for the new school year. Currently, most primary education facilities have enough classrooms to teach 2 sessions/day; additional equipment has been purchased, especially new technology equipment to contribute to improving the efficiency and quality of education.

Nam Dan District has invested more than 100 billion VND to build new schools to prepare for the new school year. (In the photo: Long Lam Secondary School has just been invested 27 billion VND and will be put into use from this school year). Photo: MH

PV: The 2021-2022 school year is expected to be a difficult year for the education sector. Meanwhile, the Nghe An education sector has set out directions and commitments to improve the quality of comprehensive education at all levels, grades, and training levels, especially for students implementing new education and training programs and students in mountainous, ethnic, and particularly disadvantaged areas. So in this school year, what solutions will the sector have to achieve the set goals?

Prof. Dr. Thai Van Thanh:In the coming school year, we have proposed 4 breakthrough solutions and 7 key tasks, focusing on developing a team of teachers and education and training managers with sufficient qualities and capacity to meet the requirements of innovation, international integration and the 4.0 industrial revolution; prioritizing resource concentration, proactively implementing digital transformation and international integration in education and training; creating a breakthrough in school governance innovation, building a model to ensure the quality of education and training, suitable to the characteristics of regions in the province; improving the quality of comprehensive education, prioritizing the development of education in ethnic minority, mountainous and disadvantaged areas.

In particular, a mechanism will be built to commit to ensuring the quality of education and training at each level, each institution according to the standards of developing learners' qualities and capacities.

Teachers create online teaching clips for primary school students. Photo: Duc Anh

To make educational activities effective and in-depth, we will also continue to re-plan the school network, consolidate schools to ensure effective implementation of the 2018 General Education Program. Prioritize the construction of boarding schools for ethnic minorities; harmoniously develop public and non-public education, prioritize areas with special difficulties, ethnic minority areas, border areas and policy subjects. At the same time, ensure financial resources, facilities and teaching equipment, improve the quality of educational activities and effectively implement educational goals at each level and grade.

With many difficult and heavy tasks and continuing to carry out the "dual" task, both ensuring the safety of students and teachers at school and the community while ensuring the progress and quality of education and schools. Therefore, we hope that the teaching staff of the province will continue to make efforts; more than ever in the current situation, we must bring all our enthusiasm, dedication, devotion, devotion, passion, responsibility for all our beloved students and educate students with all our feelings so that we can overcome all difficulties and successfully complete the tasks of the school year.

PV: Thank you!

My Ha