Ministry of Education and Training proposes to abolish junior high school diploma, support facilities for private schools

Draft to adjust many points in theEducation Law. (Photo: PV/Vietnam+)

The Ministry of Education and Training has just announced the draft of the Law on Amendments and Supplements to a number of articles of the Law on Education to solicit public comments. The draft has some notable new points such as eliminating the junior high school diploma, building a digital certificate system, increasing investment in non-public kindergartens and schools, and removing the regulation that the Ministry of Education and Training approves local educational materials...

Abolish junior high school diploma

According to the draft, in the diploma system, the Ministry of Education and Training will abolish the junior high school diploma and assign educational institutions to confirm completion of the junior high school program.

The Ministry of Education and Training believes that this is consistent with the policy of organizing two-level local government (according to the current Law on Education, the lower secondary school diploma is issued by the Department of Education), consistent with the goal of universal education and with international trends. Specifically, many developed countries (such as the US, Canada, UK, Australia, Finland) do not issue lower secondary school diplomas but use the principal's confirmation of the learning results in the lower grades to consider studying at higher levels or stream.

According to the Ministry of Education and Training, confirmation of completion of secondary school does not affect the rights and obligations of learners.

Abolish the concept of secondary school

The draft removes the concept of secondary school, changes it to vocational secondary school and adds vocational secondary school as a level of education in the national education system. Vocational secondary schools will integrate vocational knowledge and high school curriculum knowledge.

Accordingly, in the vocational secondary school program, students have 2 options: to be granted a primary vocational certificate or a secondary vocational certificate. After finishing grade 9, students have 3 options: to enter high school, to study vocational secondary school with a primary certificate or to study vocational secondary school with a secondary vocational certificate.

According to the Ministry of Education and Training, the above amendments and supplements create opportunities for learners to have more options after junior high school, create opportunities for bridging courses... and are consistent with UNESCO's systematic approach.

Ministry of Education and Training regulations on streaming

The Draft Law also transfers the authority to specify details on career guidance and education streaming from the Government to the Minister of Education and Training in order to implement decentralization, in accordance with the state management function of education of the Ministry of Education and Training.

Principal of high school graduation

The draft Law transfers the authority to grant junior high school diplomas from the director of the Department of Education and Training to the school principal.

According to the drafting committee, this aims to implement the policy of decentralization and delegation of power.

The Draft Law also decentralizes the management of preschool, primary and secondary education facilities to the chairman of the People's Committee at the commune level, and high schools or multi-level general schools are under the management of the Department of Education and Training (except for schools under the authority of the Minister of Education and Training).

Building a digital diploma and certificate database

Also related to the issue of diplomas, the draft Law adds provisions on digital diplomas and certificates. Accordingly, the Ministry of Education and Training will take the lead in building a Database on diplomas and certificates of the education sector that is synchronized/compatible/connected with the National Database on Education and Training. The Ministry of Education and Training will issue a Circular specifying digital diplomas and certificates and the roadmap for granting and using digital diplomas and certificates (which will specifically stipulate the processing and use of digital data, the implementation roadmap to ensure suitability, feasibility, safety, etc.)

Provincial level reviews and approves local educational materials

The Draft Law separates the provisions on local educational materials into a separate clause, not included in the provisions on textbooks, to clearly define that local educational materials are not textbooks.

The Ministry of Education and Training believes that the fact that local educational materials are understood as textbooks leads to the Ministry of Education and Training being responsible for approving and setting maximum prices that are not suitable to reality and unreasonable.

Accordingly, the Ministry of Education and Training amends the regulations on the authority to compile and appraise local educational materials in the direction of assigning the director of the Department of Education and Training to organize the compilation of local educational materials, assigning the provincial appraisal council to appraise and the provincial People's Committee to approve local educational materials instead of the Ministry of Education and Training approving as at present.

Add tuition exemption objects

Updating the new direction of the Politburo, the draft Law supplements regulations on tuition exemption for preschool children and high school students in public schools, and tuition support for preschool children and high school students in private educational institutions.

Private schools are invested in facilities and teaching equipment.

The draft amended Law stipulates that “private preschools and private general education institutions are entitled to policies supporting minimum facilities and teaching equipment; the level of support is decided by the provincial People's Council.”

According to the Ministry of Education and Training, this is to encourage and facilitate the development of non-public schools in accordance with the Party and State's policies on socialized education. This is also a proposal from some localities.

The Ministry of Education and Training said the time for collecting opinions is from now until July 9./.

VNA

Source: https://baothanhhoa.vn/bo-gd-dt-de-xuat-bo-bang-tot-nghiep-thcs-ho-tro-co-so-vat-chat-cho-truong-tu-248393.htm