The internet is flooded with advertisements for selling sets of documents and programs that are introduced as "standard pre-primary" for teachers and parents. Many of the documents are sets of questions and math worksheets in Vietnamese with unknown authors and publishers.
In fact, is there any program called "pre-primary" standard of the Ministry of Education and Training?
THERE IS NO PROGRAM NAMED "PRINCIPAL"
Mr. Luong Trong Binh, Deputy Head of the Department of Education and Training of District 3 (HCMC), affirmed to Thanh Nien Newspaper: "The Ministry of Education and Training does not have any program called pre-primary school; in the Preschool Education Program of the Ministry of Education and Training according to the consolidated document No. 01/VBHN-BGDĐT dated April 13, 2021 of the Ministry of Education and Training on promulgating the Preschool Education Program, in the field of language development education, there is content on familiarizing preschool children with writing for 5-6 year olds. Along with the above content, there is a set of accompanying learning materials. If teachers teach correctly and fully, and make full use of the set of learning materials to familiarize with writing, children will have a basic foundation to prepare to study well in grade 1".
Children in the kindergarten class of Thanh Pho Kindergarten in the activity of getting familiar with writing, preparing to enter grade 1.
Mr. Luong Trong Binh added: "The activity of getting familiar with writing in preschools is very important in education to develop children comprehensively in all aspects. In particular, the activity of getting familiar with writing helps children develop language. Through getting children familiar with writing, their vocabulary is improved, children practice listening to distinguish and practice pronouncing Vietnamese sounds, get acquainted with letters, how to arrange letters into words, how to pronounce, copy, fill, trace letters, children understand the relationship between spoken language and written language, children understand what "reading and writing" is later in high school. In addition, getting children familiar with writing in preschools helps children form and practice a number of skills such as holding a pen, holding a book, opening each page of a book, sitting posture... developing observation, memory, intentional attention... Thanks to that, children form a number of necessary skills for learning Vietnamese in grade 1".
Only studying at kindergarten is enough to enter first grade?
During this time, many parents are eager to send their children to literacy and math classes before entering first grade. Many parents even send their children to kindergarten for extra hours so that the kindergarten teachers can help them learn literacy and math. Because many people worry that "if they only study the preschool curriculum at school, children will not have enough knowledge and skills to enter first grade". Is this true?
A preschool teacher in Ho Chi Minh City, excellent teacher at city level in 2023
Mr. Luong Trong Binh said: "My advice is don't see other people's children taking extra classes outside and then get impatient and force them to take extra classes. At each age, you only need to take a certain step, from step 1 to step 2, step 3, and children will develop the will to take the next steps. Going to extra classes and knowing in advance is like children are already taking step 3, then when they enter the classroom, they have to take step 1 from the beginning, this affects the child's will to strive."
"The preschool education program of the Ministry of Education and Training, when applied and implemented nationwide, has been thoroughly researched by scientists, so educational institutions and teachers should follow it closely. As for taking extra classes outside, I would like to advise parents to consider carefully when approaching a program, class, or center. Learning is good. But parents must carefully consider the programs their children will study," Mr. Binh noted.
A preschool teacher with many years of experience in charge of the kindergarten class (5-6 years old) in Ho Chi Minh City, who is also a city-level excellent preschool teacher in 2023, said that many parents understand the problem, understand the development standards of 5-year-old children, the end of the age announced by the Ministry of Education and Training, so they do not put much emphasis on children learning to read and write in preschool. Because this causes a difference in children's knowledge when entering grade 1, affecting their psychology. However, there are also parents who are worried, impatient, and want their children to read and write fluently before entering primary school.
"The teachers' task is to coordinate with parents, promote and exchange information so that parents understand that learning to write in preschool is different from learning to write in primary school. The output standards for children at the end of the 5-year-old age range have been clearly defined, parents should not be hasty," said this teacher.
The female teacher also affirmed: "In the current preschool education program of the Ministry of Education and Training, there is no mention of the "pre-primary school" program. This may be the way some centers today grasp the psychology and needs of parents who are interested in what they should open classes with such names to attract students. If teachers follow the preschool education program of the Ministry of Education and Training correctly, parents coordinate well with the school and teachers in raising, caring for, and educating their children, then when children complete the kindergarten class (5-6 years old), they will have enough skills, awareness, physical requirements, aesthetics, social emotions... to enter grade 1".
Introducing children to writing is not only demonstrated through teachers organizing educational activities but also in daily life anytime, anywhere, and especially in building a diverse writing environment in the classroom.
N MANY ACTIVITIES TO PREPARE CHILDREN FOR GRADE 1
In early April 2024, at the City Kindergarten (District 3, Ho Chi Minh City), a seminar was held on "Organizing educational activities to prepare 5-year-old children for grade 1 - getting acquainted with writing".
Ms. Nguyen Thi Anh Tuyet, a specialist from the Preschool Education Department, Ho Chi Minh City Department of Education and Training, said that teachers design educational activities in the direction of "playing while learning, learning through playing"; organizing experiential activities to help children develop well in terms of physical, language, and cognition, and have a mentality ready to enter grade 1. At the same time, activities help form necessary life skills such as self-service, asking for permission, waiting for turns, raising hands to speak, knowing discipline, concentrating when sitting in class, knowing how to turn pages, sitting in the correct posture, knowing how to protect oneself, etc.
Ms. Anh Tuyet also said that getting children familiar with writing is not only shown through teachers organizing educational activities but also shown in activities anytime, anywhere, and especially that is building a diverse writing environment in the classroom. In designing the educational environment, teachers should change the environment with children regularly so that children can "bathe" in the writing environment. It could be a signboard with the names of plants in the school yard; a name tag of the child in the locker in front of the classroom; a roll call board; a corner for getting acquainted with writing; a classroom library... Besides written language, there is also sign language such as toilet signs; signs for not stepping on the grass or not climbing...
There are more important things to prepare children for first grade than learning letters and doing math.
The owner of a kindergarten in Binh Thanh District, Ho Chi Minh City, said that the reason why people and families rush to send their children to extra classes and learn the first grade curriculum in kindergarten is because a first grade class has 35 students but sometimes more than 30 children have already started school. People tell each other, seeing that their children cannot write or do math as fast as other children, they get impatient, parents compete with each other, so they encourage each other to learn in advance, repeating this year after year.
"My point of view is to follow the preschool education program of the Ministry of Education and Training. Before children enter first grade, there are many things that need to be prepared for them that are more important than rushing to learn letters and math fluently. That is preparing their mentality, spirit, skills to make friends, skills to be independent, work in groups, the ability to concentrate on listening to lectures, self-service skills...", the school owner shared.
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