Social Affairs
Ministry gets tough on education reform
The Ministry of Education and Training (MoET) will accelerate education reform, including designing new textbooks, revitalizing examinations, and reassessing test-driven education, giving priority to the students’ interest, MoET Minister Pham Vu Luan has said.
In a Q&A programme run by the Government portal on August 24, Minister Luan admitted that Vietnamese students study passively to optimize their chance to enter a university.
A student argued that the MoET has compiled a set of textbooks for several decades, making it difficult for students to study and apply to the real life.
In addition, the MoET has adopted exceedingly rigid regulations on common exams for different exam blocs (i.e. students take similar practice tests, sit exams on the same days, and are assessed on the same results).
Minister Luan said despite textbooks have been re-compiled, they are “too academic and overloaded” for students to study.
Currently, the MoET is implementing a Political Bureau resolution No 29 on education reform, with a focus on developing students’ capabilities and qualities. It will not maintain its monopoly on textbook compilation any longer.
Luan said the MoET has drafted a renewed scheme on examinations, including the assessment of a student’s universal education achievements. The scheme has been announced widely for public comments.
The National Committee on Education Reform will gather comments and revise the scheme before submission to the Prime Minister for consideration.
The MoET will soon announce the scheme prior to the new school year to ensure students’ interests, said Luan.
Top priority will be given to students’ interests, he said, referring to exam reforms that may affect students studying old textbooks passively.
“We realise that it is necessary to make a breakthrough in education to constitute an advanced education sector that does not obstruct national development,” said the Minister.
However, reforming does not mean causing difficulties for students and society, he said, adding that a detailed roadmap has been worked out to put in place the reform scheme.
In addition, the MoET has adopted exceedingly rigid regulations on common exams for different exam blocs (i.e. students take similar practice tests, sit exams on the same days, and are assessed on the same results).
Minister Luan said despite textbooks have been re-compiled, they are “too academic and overloaded” for students to study.
Currently, the MoET is implementing a Political Bureau resolution No 29 on education reform, with a focus on developing students’ capabilities and qualities. It will not maintain its monopoly on textbook compilation any longer.
Luan said the MoET has drafted a renewed scheme on examinations, including the assessment of a student’s universal education achievements. The scheme has been announced widely for public comments.
The National Committee on Education Reform will gather comments and revise the scheme before submission to the Prime Minister for consideration.
The MoET will soon announce the scheme prior to the new school year to ensure students’ interests, said Luan.
Top priority will be given to students’ interests, he said, referring to exam reforms that may affect students studying old textbooks passively.
“We realise that it is necessary to make a breakthrough in education to constitute an advanced education sector that does not obstruct national development,” said the Minister.
However, reforming does not mean causing difficulties for students and society, he said, adding that a detailed roadmap has been worked out to put in place the reform scheme.
