Reflections on 4 key issues in education by Dong Cac University Scholar Cao Xuan Duc

(Baonghean.vn) -The workshop “Danh nhan Dong Cac Dai Hoc Si ​​Cao Xuan Duc” recently held in Vinh City (Nghe An) gathered 35 papers that deeply explored and fully exploited all aspects and issues related to the life, career and works of the famous person. From the perspective of an educator, we realize that the issues raised by Dong Cac Dai Hoc Si ​​were raised nearly a century ago but still have value today, very worthy of the attention of those working in educational planning today.

Cao Xuan Duc (1842-1923) was from Thinh My village, Cao Xa commune, Dien Chau district, Nghe An province (now Dien Thinh commune - Dien Chau). He came from a family with a tradition of mandarin examinations. Since childhood, he was famous for his intelligence and studiousness. After passing the Binh Ty examination, the 29th year of Tu Duc (Nguyen dynasty) (1876), Cao Xuan Duc was appointed by the king as a post-graduate of Quang Ngai. His career as an official went through many important positions, including the position of Minister of Education, concurrently in charge of the National University and the University of the East - one of the four pillars of the royal court. As the head of the education sector, Cao Xuan Duc always struggled to find a suitable direction to open up and revive the people's knowledge. In other words, he was very aware of the role of culture and education in the development of the country: "To enlighten the people, we must first go through the path of academia, then talents will flourish, life will become rich, and customs will become good" (Long Cuong Van Tap).



Dong Cac University Scholar Cao Xuan Duc.

The educational motto of Dong Cac Dai Hoc Si ​​Cao Xuan Duc is “For ten years of benefit, there is nothing better than planting trees, for a hundred years of benefit, there is nothing better than cultivating people”. From there, through the work “Long Cuong Van Tap”, he proposed 4 important issues to develop the country’s education career. It is worth mentioning that these 4 issues are still relevant today - the years of the 2nd decade of the 21st century, proving that the famous person Cao Xuan Duc has a vision beyond time.

The first issue is academic rectification.. Not only do we need to appreciate the meaning of literature but we also need to understand the way things are, not only teach Chinese characters and Western characters but also teach more about the national language. Cao Xuan Duc lived in a transitional period, with a strong exchange between the two cultures of the East and the West, Chinese characters were outdated but still had a place to live, French characters were on the rise, the national language had appeared but was not yet taken seriously. In that situation, the head of the Southern Dynasty's Education sector advocated letting students approach a series of current cultural and scientific issues on the basis of filtering and accepting the best. In today's era of exchange and integration, ensuring harmony between social sciences and humanities, natural sciences and science and technology in the educational program at the secondary and university levels is a major issue for the education sector. Along with that, increasing foreign language learning is becoming an urgent need for Vietnamese people in the process of international integration.

The second issue is budgeting for education.. Increase funding for the reconstruction of Thai Hoc, the establishment of libraries, the increase of scholarships for students, the purchase of new books, and the provision of salaries for teachers. Nowadays, the investment in the construction of facilities for teaching and learning, the provision of scholarships for students under the policy and poor households is becoming a large movement not only for the education sector but also for the whole society. In particular, the issue of teachers' salaries has long been one of the topics of public concern. Because, compared to the average living standard, teachers' income is not high, sometimes and in some places they cannot really make a living from their profession. Therefore, many teachers have to organize extra classes (even against regulations) to increase their income and cover their family's living expenses. And we also know that the organization of extra classes is causing a lot of controversy in public opinion, forcing the education sector to intervene and rectify it.

The third problem is teacher selection.. Teachers must go through a teacher training school, must be knowledgeable in French and the national language, only good teachers can train good people. Recently, after a series of signs of degradation in education (cheating in exams, school violence, unhealthy lifestyles of young people...), the issue of reviewing the capacity and qualities of a group of teachers has been raised. Because, in the media, there have been many stories about the phenomenon of teachers beating students, teachers enticing students to do depraved things, unworthy of being teachers... In other words, about a century ago, during the Asia-Europe transition period, Dong Cac Dai Hoc Si ​​Cao Xuan Duc set the standard for teachers to be well-trained, have a foundation of knowledge, deep understanding, and especially must be a shining example of personality. Only then can we train generations of good students, who live and work usefully for their families and society. Today, this issue is still very urgent.

The fourth issue is the organization of teaching and learning.. Teaching and learning must have clear programs, with tests and assessments, rewards to encourage, and discipline to deter. For several years now, innovation in teaching methods and textbooks and curriculum has consumed a lot of ink. Regarding innovation in teaching methods, we have long called for the implementation of the motto of taking students as the center, teachers playing the role of guides for students to find the truth. This has led to changes in the content of textbooks. After many changes and adjustments, the program at the high school level is still considered "overloaded", affecting the learning spirit and physical health of students. As for the university level, the program content is assessed as being outdated compared to the region and the world, not ensuring practicality and connection with social needs. For that reason, a large part of graduates do not meet job requirements and have to be retrained. Not to mention the organization of exams (graduation, admission) at all levels and grades of education is also giving rise to many controversial issues, with no common voice yet found. Thus, after a century, the issues on the organization of teaching and learning, including program content, methods and assessment of results raised by the Minister of Education of the Nguyen Dynasty, Cao Xuan Duc - a typical celebrity of Nghe An, are still valid.

Nowadays, in the trend of integration, leaders of sectors (including the education sector) have the opportunity to exchange, contact and learn from the experience models of advanced countries in the world. That is a good way and opens up opportunities to "take shortcuts" but I think the correct opinions of the ancients can also be considered "precious gems" for future generations to ponder. Because, the culture and education of a nation is a flow, where there is inheritance and adaptation.

Cong Kien