Innovation in preschool education

The new preschool education program is expected to be piloted at 120 preschool education facilities in 40 districts (in 20 provinces representing different regions) for 3 school years with many new features.

Physical education class for students at Yen Bai A Kindergarten (Ba Vi district, Hanoi). Photo: NTCC.

According to Mr. Nguyen Ba Minh - Director of the Department of Preschool Education (Ministry of Education and Training - GDDT), the current preschool education program has been issued and implemented for 15 years (from 2009 to present) and although it has many advantages, it also reveals shortcomings in the face of rapid changes in domestic, regional and international practices. Accordingly, it has not kept up with the requirements for developing the qualities and capacities of learners in the context of innovation; the living conditions of children at school put pressure on teachers; teachers have not promoted flexibility and creativity in the process of nurturing and educating children... Therefore, the Ministry of Education and Training has implemented the development of a new preschool education program.

Some new points of the new preschool education program are the approach to capacity based on emotions, society, forming and developing core values ​​of Vietnamese people; the approach based on rights, conventions, international treaties on Children's Rights, ensuring quality, fairness, integration, equality and respect for children's differences; empowering educational institutions and teachers in developing educational programs.

It is expected that the Ministry will pilot the new Preschool Education Program for three consecutive school years: 2025 - 2026, 2026 - 2027, 2027 - 2028 at 120 preschools in 20 provinces and cities representing regions across the country. After the pilot period, the Ministry will organize a review of experiences, continue to perfect the content of the new Preschool Education Program and is expected to deploy it widely at preschools nationwide in the 2029 - 2030 school year.

As a program linked to the 2018 General Education Program, the new Preschool Education Program is expected to promote advantages, optimize opportunities, create conditions to support each child's personal development; overcome shortcomings and limitations and gradually help teachers reduce pressure and improve the quality of preschool education and care. To do that well, localities also need to be proactive in terms of human resources and facilities.

Deputy Director of the Department of Education and Training of Hoa Binh province, Nguyen Quang Minh, said that the unit has advised the Provincial People's Committee and closely coordinated with other units to effectively implement the work of recruiting teachers; investing in facilities for preschools. In terms of expertise, the Department of Education and Training organizes training courses for preschool teachers to update their knowledge, focusing on autonomy and decentralization in program implementation, and innovating child care and education methods...

From the experience of the education sector’s innovation process, the important issue is to prepare a sufficient number of teachers to meet the quality requirements. However, in many localities, the problem of teacher shortage is still a recurring refrain every school year, especially in mountainous districts. The main reason is that the large school system is scattered in the villages, the traffic is difficult, and the socio-economic conditions are limited, so recruiting new teachers is difficult. In other regions, it is also difficult to recruit preschool teachers due to low salaries, long working hours, hard work, and a lot of pressure, so some teachers are no longer sticking with the profession. Many graduates do not work after graduation but decide to work in other fields or professions. Although in the past there have been policies to increase salaries and preferential allowances for preschool teachers in general and preschool teachers in difficult areas in particular, in order to attract good people, retain dedicated teachers and feel secure in their work, other policies are still needed. In particular, many teachers hope that when the Law on Teachers is issued, policies for teachers will be thoroughly resolved so that they have more motivation to stick with the profession.

Source: https://daidoanket.vn/doi-moi-giao-duc-mam-non-10296934.html