The Ministry of Education and Training (MOET) has just drafted a Circular regulating extra teaching and learning to solicit comments. The deadline for comments is October 22, 2024.
Must report to the principal
The most interesting thing in the draft is that the Ministry of Education and Training plans to remove the regulations on cases where extra teaching is not allowed, such as Circular 17 dated May 16, 2012, promulgating regulations on extra teaching and learning.
These regulations include: No extra teaching for primary school students, except in the following cases: art training, physical education, life skills training. Teachers who are receiving salaries from the salary fund of public service units are not allowed to organize extra teaching or learning outside of school, but can participate in extra teaching outside of school; are not allowed to give extra teaching outside of school to students that the teacher is teaching in the main curriculum without the permission of the head of the agency managing that teacher.
According to the draft regulations, teachers are allowed to teach their students outside of school, they only need to report to the principal instead of having to ask for permission as is currently the case. Specifically, they only need to report and make a list (full name, class of students) to the principal, and at the same time commit not to use any form of forcing students to take extra classes. The fact that teachers can teach their students outside of school has received much attention from teachers, parents as well as education experts.
A teacher frankly stated that Circular 17 also states that it is not allowed to teach extra classes outside of school for students that teachers are teaching in their regular classes without the permission of the head of the agency that manages that teacher. However, no specific agency has been able to monitor and manage extra classes outside of school in recent years. Therefore, students at all levels have to take extra classes and most of them are taking extra classes with their regular teachers.
Not worth stopping
Dr. Nguyen Tung Lam, Chairman of the Hanoi Educational Psychology Association, stated his opinion: The nature of extra teaching and learning is not worth preventing, not bad if students voluntarily go to school and teachers are enthusiastic in teaching in class, treating students who take extra classes and those who do not take extra classes equally. In reality, with an education system that focuses heavily on exams and diplomas, students must definitely take extra classes to get the highest exam results. Extra teaching and learning is only bad when there are some teachers who force, entice, and apply teaching tricks in regular classes to make students come to them for extra classes.
The principal of a high school analyzed that if we look at the high school graduation exam and the 10th grade entrance exam, we will see that most of the 9th and 12th grade students have to take extra classes according to the school's plan and at tutoring centers, at teachers' houses in the hope of being admitted to the schools they registered for. Extra tutoring and extra learning for final year students is flourishing both inside and outside of school.
Students of Luong The Vinh High School (District 1, Ho Chi Minh City) during a class. Photo: TAN THANH
Education expert Pham Hiep also said that extra teaching and learning is a global phenomenon, not just in Vietnam, even in some countries, many good teachers do not work in regular schools but work in tutoring centers. However, teachers should not be allowed to teach their own students extra lessons, because teachers can abuse their authority in class to force students to take extra lessons. Tutoring teachers should not be the ones to grade students in class. Organizing 2 sessions/day has limited extra teaching and learning. Teachers are not allowed to teach their own students, which is also a way to limit extra teaching and learning. Schools need to innovate in centralized testing and assessment, which will also contribute to reducing coercion.
Ms. Van Trinh Quynh An, a teacher at Gia Dinh High School (Binh Thanh District, Ho Chi Minh City), said that according to long-standing regulations, teachers are not allowed to teach extra classes spontaneously, are not allowed to teach students who are currently teaching regular classes... but teachers have many ways to teach extra classes, such as establishing a company to be assured of teaching extra classes according to the law, teaching extra classes at a center and negotiating the cost.
According to Mr. Lam Vu Cong Chinh, a teacher at Nguyen Du High School (District 10, Ho Chi Minh City), extra classes are a legitimate need of many students, including those who are only used to studying with teachers in class, so it is natural and legitimate for them to want to study with these teachers. Therefore, extra classes have existed for many years. Salaries are not enough to ensure a living, so it is natural for teachers to want to teach extra classes to improve their income.
"Living together" should not be banned
This is not the first time the Ministry of Education and Training has raised the issue of including tutoring as a conditional business activity in order to have a legal basis for handling it outside of schools. According to experts, this is necessary in the current context, and we should find a way to "live with it" rather than ban it.
The draft has regulations on this that many experts have commented as very good, for example, it is not necessary for teachers not to teach extra classes for students who have already taught at school, individuals who want to teach extra classes must register their business... This will put extra classes into the management system from all levels, consider extra classes as a profession and must be licensed, just like doctors can open their own clinics, teachers can also open extra classes. Such regulations are clear and transparent, from an educational perspective, it is a respect for the profession of teachers, considering extra classes as a legal profession. However, whether teaching extra classes inside or outside of school, the draft should be more "open" and concise for teachers.
The principal of a junior high school said that if it is possible to add extra teaching and learning to the conditional business, this is a very good thing to do. In reality, there are many teachers in public schools who have a lot of free time so they go to teach at private schools and pay personal income tax. If it is managed as a business, it will pave the way for teachers to register, teach how many students, charge a certain price and the management agencies will collect the tax. However, the tax rate for this activity also needs to have its own characteristics, if it is too high, it will invisibly put pressure on the students.
Difficult to report details
Mr. Lam Vu Cong Chinh expressed that it would be difficult to report in detail on extra teaching and learning in reality. For example, if a teacher reports that there are 10 students taking extra classes, and then the number increases by a few students each day, he or she must also report. The school's function is to manage the subject, so cumbersome regulations will lead to "watching" each other. To manage extra teaching and learning, regulations should be included in the licensing requirements for individual businesses, with guaranteed conditions, and procedures should be more streamlined than those for applying for a license to operate a cultural training center. Teachers must commit to complying with the requirements of the education management unit and related departments. For example, food businesses need to commit to food hygiene and safety, but it is not necessary to submit a menu to apply for a license.
Source: https://nld.com.vn/day-them-quan-hay-cam-196240824191432401.htm
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