Suggestions for what not to do with teachers

Considering that there are currently only regulations on what teachers are not allowed to do, but not on what organizations and individuals are not allowed to do to teachers, the draft Law on Teachers will add regulations to protect teachers.

Why not make public information about teachers' violations when there is no conclusion?

The Ministry of Education and Training said that the draft Law on Teachers stipulates the rights and obligations of teachers, and what they cannot do, in a way that increases protection for teachers.

The Ministry of Education and Training plans to regulate not to disclose information about teachers' violations until there is an official conclusion from a competent authority.

In addition to more clearly defining what teachers are not allowed to do, the draft Law on Teachers stipulates what organizations and individuals are not allowed to do towards teachers, including: not fully implementing the regime and policies for teachers as prescribed; not publicly disclosing information about teachers' violations without an official conclusion from a competent authority during the process of considering discipline or prosecuting teachers' legal responsibility; and other things that are not allowed to be done according to the provisions of law.

There are concerns about the regulation that "information about teachers' violations cannot be made public without an official conclusion from a competent authority in the process of considering discipline or prosecuting teachers' legal responsibilities" because it is believed that this regulation will be entangled with regulations on information, speaking and "defending" teachers.

However, this regulation is necessary to protect teachers, especially in the context of social networks and online media developing strongly as it is today. If teachers commit violations, they will be punished according to regulations.

The characteristics of teachers' professional activities are special. If there is no plan to protect teachers, the affected subjects will not only be teachers but also students.

The Ministry of Education and Training also believes that current regulations only focus on prohibiting teachers from performing acts in professional activities without specific and detailed regulations on what individuals, agencies and organizations inside and outside schools are not allowed to do to teachers. There is a lack of regulations to protect teachers in their professional activities, and a lack of policies to build a safe working environment so that teachers can work with peace of mind, contribute and perform their professional activities effectively.

As a result, there have been cases where teachers have been hindered from teaching and educating, their honor has been insulted, and even physically abused, seriously affecting the psychology and professional activities of teachers and the dignity of the profession. This situation has led to many teachers avoiding and being afraid to handle student violations, limiting the exchange of information with students' families...

Teachers also need to be subject to social supervision?

This draft regulation is also receiving mixed opinions. Sharing with Thanh Nien reporter, Dr. Nguyen Quoc Viet, lecturer of Public Policy, Deputy Director in charge of the Institute for Economic and Policy Research, University of Economics (Vietnam National University, Hanoi), cited the story of a college that recently hastily terminated the contract with a lecturer because of "insensitive" criticism of a student. Although this decision was later withdrawn, according to Dr. Viet, it shows that the position of teachers is being "shaken" when schools handle the incident to appease customers (students) and public opinion while not thoroughly investigating the matter and protecting teachers as they should.

"I am concerned about how much autonomy teachers have in their classrooms and schools regarding their professional activities. Even though this approach was later corrected, it still shows that teachers' independence and autonomy are not respected," said Dr. Nguyen Quoc Viet.

Meanwhile, many opinions argue that teachers need to be subject to social supervision because of the nature of their profession. According to researcher and translator Nguyen Quoc Vuong, public opinion, including the press, people, and citizens, has the right to supervise, criticize, and implement other methods considered legal by law when discovering teachers' violations.

According to Mr. Vuong, if such a regulation is set up, it will make people feel that teachers are an exempt class and educational institutions have an excuse to hide information, which is harmful to the development of education and violates the rights of students and people.

Some opinions also say that many cases of violations of teachers' ethics will be "sunk" if the public does not speak up and monitor, and will not be handled seriously enough. Therefore, there should be regulations to strictly handle acts of slander, fabrication, and insulting teachers, but it is still necessary to publicize the violations and the forms of handling so that society can monitor them together.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/de-xuat-nhung-viec-khong-duoc-lam-voi-nha-giao-185241031170401012.htm