Deputy PM clarifies pressing educational issues

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Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam speaks at the session

The official’s clarification focused on pre-school universalisation and malpractices, particularly child abuse at kindergartens; 200,000 unemployed graduates; vocational guidance; training quality, especially at higher education; and basic, comprehensive educational reform. 

He blamed violence at kindergartens on the low quality of teachers, citing only more than 60 percent of pre-school teachers holding college diplomas or higher. 

“It is crucial to improve the training quality of pre-school teachers,” he said, adding that local authorities should take responsibility for inspecting and licensing kindergartens and independent child care centres. 

Pointing out the low coverage rate of pre-school education at 27.7 percent, Deputy PM Dam stressed the need to promptly develop qualified kindergartens and independent child care centres.

He called on local authorities to join hands in the work, especially in the areas housing many industrial parks in order to ease worries and difficulties facing workers. 

Regarding 200,000 graduates who are jobless or unable to find suitable jobs, making up over 4 percent of the total number of graduates, the Deputy PM said the number is normal as compared with the average of 7 percent in many countries worldwide. 

To deal with the situation, the first job is to improve the quality of vocational guidance, he said, adding that the work should be stepped up right at secondary schools. 

At the same time, it is necessary to raise the quality of higher education and promote the self-control model, the official said. 

Deputy PM highlighted Vietnam’s efforts to reform tertiary education over the past three years, aiming to have at least one educational institution named among the world’s top 1,000 schools in the next three years. 

Talking about basic, comprehensive educational reform, he spoke of the reform of textbooks, teaching methods, material facilities, and State management and administration at educational institutions. 

To reform the educational system comprehensively, it is a must to overcome deep-rooted shortcomings such as the overload of knowledge and discouragement of creativeness of teachers and students.