Need for special policies to retain teachers in ethnic minority areas

This was emphasized by Permanent Deputy Minister of Education and Training Pham Ngoc Thuong at the conference to summarize the Project to enhance Vietnamese language for preschool children in ethnic minority areas in the period 2016-2020, with a vision to 2025, held on November 6 in Ninh Binh.

Strengthening policies and creating conditions for the development of preschool education in ethnic minority areas

The project to enhance Vietnamese language for preschool children and primary school students of ethnic minorities has been implemented by the Ministry of Education and Training since 2016, aiming to help ethnic minority children be confident in communication, ready to learn, contributing to narrowing the gap in education quality between regions.

After 7 years of implementation, the Project has brought positive results: most localities have built a rich Vietnamese communication environment, increased the rate of children going to school, and reduced the rate of ethnic minority students dropping out of school.

Speaking at the Conference, Deputy Minister Pham Ngoc Thuong highly appreciated the serious and responsible working spirit of the delegates. The Conference focused on discussing core issues, clearly showing the results achieved, highlighting difficulties and obstacles in the implementation process, and proposing solutions to continue to consolidate and develop preschool education in ethnic minority areas.

The Deputy Minister affirmed that in the coming time, preschool education in ethnic minority areas needs to seriously implement the Government 's programs and policies; and remove difficulties in regional conditions, especially in border and island areas.
There should be policies to support and attract preschool teachers to work in difficult areas, including considering special allowances, housing support, and arranging staff to care for and manage school libraries.

In addition, the Ministry of Education and Training will recommend that the Government prioritize budget investment in infrastructure, especially roads, water, teachers' housing, and programs to solidify preschools in particularly difficult localities.

The Deputy Minister emphasized the need to promote the results of the Vietnamese language enhancement project, develop a plan to expand implementation based on children's mother tongue, associated with preserving national culture, creating a natural, rich and close-to-life Vietnamese communication environment.

At the Conference, representatives of provinces and cities shared many good models and practices in maintaining and expanding the results of the Project, such as "Green Library", "Vietnamese-loving Children's Club", "Vietnamese-friendly Self"...

Mr. Le Quang Vinh, Deputy Director of Dien Bien Department of Education and Training at the Conference.

Representatives of the Department of Education and Training of Dien Bien Province pointed out the difficulties in facilities, lack of teachers and living conditions at many schools in mountainous areas; at the same time, they recommended that the Government continue to prioritize investment capital for preschools and primary schools in disadvantaged areas, support travel expenses for teachers teaching at remote schools, increase the basic salary by 50%, and organize training courses to improve management capacity and enhance Vietnamese language teaching for teachers.

According to Mr. Le Quang Vinh, Deputy Director of the Department of Education and Training of Dien Bien, having additional timely and practical support policies will help teachers feel secure in their work, contributing to improving the quality of teaching Vietnamese to ethnic minority children.

Synchronous coordination, improving teacher capacity and quality of Vietnamese language teaching

Regarding general education, the Deputy Minister requested localities to provide synchronous guidance from preschool to primary school, and coordinate the implementation of solutions to enhance Vietnamese language for students in ethnic minority areas.

It is necessary to review and develop specific policies for teachers in remote areas, ensuring the attraction, retention and capacity improvement of local teachers.

The Ministry of Education and Training will continue to coordinate with international organizations such as UNICEF, Save the Children, VVOB and research institutes to mobilize resources, provide technical support, and guide localities to expand Vietnamese language teaching models suitable to reality, contributing to improving the quality of education and effectively implementing the 2018 General Education Program.

The Deputy Minister requested to continue developing specialized teaching materials and tools, digitizing Vietnamese language enhancement resources, and strengthening testing and assessment of students' Vietnamese language ability through language education activities.

At the same time, it is necessary to promote communication, socialize education, mobilize children to go to school, especially focus on 6-year-old children entering grade 1, reduce the dropout rate and improve the quality of comprehensive education.

Deputy Minister Pham Ngoc Thuong expressed his belief that, with the attention of local Party committees and authorities and the efforts of cadres and teachers, the education sector will continue to promote the achieved results, creating strong changes in the work of strengthening Vietnamese language and improving the quality of education in ethnic minority areas in the new period.

“Ensuring that all children, especially ethnic minority children, can study and play in an equal, safe and culturally rich environment is a consistent goal of the education sector. This is not only a professional task but also a profound social and humanitarian commitment, contributing to achieving equity in access to education, towards sustainable development and integration,” the Deputy Minister emphasized.

Source: https://giaoducthoidai.vn/can-chinh-sach-dac-thu-giu-chan-giao-vien-vung-dan-toc-thieu-so-post755563.html