Lots of training but still 'no' Music and Art teachers

The shortcomings were raised at the scientific conference: "Art education oriented towards developing qualities and capacities in general education institutions in Vietnam" organized by the Faculty of Arts, Hanoi National University of Education on August 21.

Associate Professor, Dr. Trinh Hoai Thu, Deputy Director of the Department of Primary Education, Ministry of Education and Training, said that for Music and Fine Arts subjects at the secondary level, the current challenge lies not only in the level of teachers but also in the quantity.

“Nationwide, the number of Music and Fine Arts teachers at the primary level is basically sufficient. At the secondary level, there is a shortage, although not much. But at the high school level, there are almost no teachers to teach these two subjects, except for some non-public high schools or high schools with foreign elements,” said Ms. Thu.

Ms. Thu said that according to statistics for the 2023-2024 school year, the number of high schools nationwide is about 2,400. "If we only count each school needing at least 1 music teacher and 1 art teacher, we are short about 4,800 teachers in high schools, not counting the shortage at the 2 levels of middle and primary schools," Ms. Thu said.

Associate Professor, Dr. Trinh Hoai Thu, Deputy Director of the Department of Primary Education, Ministry of Education and Training shared at the workshop.

More importantly, the shortage of teachers is local and uneven.

“In big cities, we have enough teachers, even more than enough. For example, some primary schools in Dong Da district, Hanoi have up to 7 music teachers. This means that the number of music and art teachers is concentrated in places with favorable conditions; while in mountainous and disadvantaged areas, there is a shortage, and a huge shortage.”

Therefore, the representative of the Ministry of Education and Training said that the need to train Music and Fine Arts teachers for general schools is extremely urgent.

However, according to Ms. Thu, through statistics compiled by the Ministry of Education and Training, in reality, the number of university-level Music and Fine Arts students trained is quite large nationwide.

“The number of students that training institutions have graduated from is more than 6,000 people, as of the last school year. However, whether those students can work as teachers after graduation is a problem.”

Another issue that needs to be raised, according to Ms. Thu, is that the level of art teachers today is not uniform. “If we look at the training programs of current educational institutions, there are many differences, many different subjects and the number of credits is also quite different. This is leading to a situation where the pedagogical and artistic abilities of teachers trained at different institutions upon graduation are not uniform.”

Associate Professor Dr. Ha Hoa, Head of the Faculty of Art and Design of Dai Nam University, also said that the music teacher training program at some universities is very different.

Ms. Hoa stated the current situation: “A quick survey shows that many music education students graduate from high school and teach but cannot identify what is ca tru, xam, cheo, quan ho. This confusion happens a lot. However, some schools do not let students learn it, and if they do not learn it, they will not know. So, when they teach, the identification is wrong, how can teachers teach?”

According to Ms. Hoa, when not taught during the training process, future teachers are likely to make mistakes. Meanwhile, if teachers in high schools teach music well, they can inspire and instill national consciousness in students.

In addition, according to Ms. Hoa, when training schools teach too academically, they also "lift" those academic things to teach students, causing confusion. Ms. Hoa believes that teachers need to know how to inspire students. Students who become teachers later do the same, which can inspire creativity in learners.

Associate Professor, Dr. Ha Hoa shared at the workshop.

Ms. Trinh Hoai Thu said that there should be a training program for teachers to be able to meet and have the ability to teach appropriately in general schools.

Many teacher training programs of educational institutions are still heavily academic, heavily focused on teaching in a professional training style, not really close to the needs of general schools. “We want teachers to be able to practice teaching with the requirements of the general education program after graduation, not to become a performing artist. We need a teacher who may not be an excellent performing artist, but must know how to use musical instruments, and be able to convey knowledge to students so that they can understand and do it. We also recommend that schools do not just teach what they have, but teach what society needs. Specifically, schools and lecturers should review their training programs to adjust and supplement them to suit the new general education program,” said Ms. Thu.

Ms. Vu Thi Thu Ha, Principal of To Hoang Secondary School (Hai Ba Trung District, Hanoi) believes that it is necessary to enhance the importance and position of art teachers. Only then will teachers make the highest efforts and creativity to meet the requirements of teaching and learning in changing conditions, despite many external influences such as work pressure, rapid development of information technology, changes in learners and social attitudes towards teachers.

Ms. Ha believes that in order to motivate art teachers, it is necessary to create opportunities for them to assert themselves through competitions, for example, competitions for excellent teachers at all levels, helping them have the opportunity to develop through their own expertise, finding ways to increase their income and helping them assert their position...

Regarding the teaching environment for art teachers, Ms. Ha said that most of them are implemented in schools without open activities due to lack of funds and time. This is also the reason for the lack of excitement for learners.

“The fact that students only learn from books and have little practical knowledge causes prejudice against the subject to grow and significantly affects the quality of art teaching,” said Ms. Ha.

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Source: https://vietnamnet.vn/dao-tao-nhieu-nhung-van-trang-giao-vien-am-nhac-va-my-thuat-2314244.html