Members of Parliament have proposed a mechanism for parents and students to cast secret ballots to evaluate teachers.

Professor Hoang Van Cuong - a National Assembly representative from Hanoi - proposed that there should be a mechanism to collect feedback from students and parents on teachers through a confidential evaluation method, where only the person being evaluated and the school administrator know the results.

On the morning of November 9th, during a group discussion in the National Assembly, Professor Hoang Van Cuong, with his 40 years of teaching experience, made very heartfelt contributions to the draft Law on Teachers. During the group discussion, Professor Cuong affirmed: "Teaching is a special profession; the object of influence is human beings, and the product of education is knowledge. Therefore, the attitude and behavior of teachers in their work as well as in society must also be special and distinctive."

Teachers have a responsibility to encourage students to develop critical thinking and respect diversity.

Accordingly, in addition to the eight points stipulating the obligations of teachers in Article 9, Professor Cuong suggested that it is necessary to add and emphasize that teachers should not only be exemplary and role models in their professional activities but also exemplary in community life and exemplary in their social behavior.

In particular, educators must not only respect, treat fairly, and protect the rights of learners, but also have the responsibility to motivate, encourage, and inspire learners to develop their individual creative thinking. They must respect students' differing opinions, as long as they do not violate the ethical and legal standards of the learners.

Professor Hoang Van Cuong proposed that, in Article 26 on teacher evaluation, there should be a mechanism for collecting feedback from students and parents through a confidential evaluation method, where only the person being evaluated (the teacher) and the administrator know the evaluation results.

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Understanding teachers' "summer vacation rights"

Professor Cuong affirmed that educators, especially university lecturers, have a duty to conduct scientific research. "It can be seen that most Nobel Prizes around the world are awarded at universities," Professor Cuong cited as an example.

Professor Cuong emphasized that teachers are not entitled to summer vacation, but rather this time should be linked to tasks such as participating in training and professional development, conducting scientific research, or engaging in community activities relevant to their expertise.

Furthermore, 90% of Vietnam's international publications are by university lecturers, while universities only receive 6.7% of the funding for scientific research. Therefore, Article 28 on the Teacher Policy needs to prioritize the allocation of scientific research projects. Scientific research and technology transfer projects by teachers should be given preferential treatment regarding personal income tax.

Furthermore, teachers have a responsibility to participate in training, professional development, and self-improvement to enhance their skills. A teacher training and professional development fund is mandatory. "Abroad, every teacher must receive professional development training every 3-5 years," Representative Cuong stated.

Teachers should be given priority in purchasing social housing.

Professor Hoang Van Cuong agrees with the six prohibited activities for teachers and the three prohibited activities in Article 11. However, he suggests adding a regulation prohibiting teachers from participating in or directly engaging in certain business activities as stipulated by the local authorities and the school where they work. He points out that some business activities, while common, are inappropriate for teachers, such as selling insurance to parents or selling refreshments outside the school gate.

Regarding the regulation prohibiting forced tutoring in any form, Professor Cuong believes this regulation is inappropriate. "Following the principle of preventing students from repeating a grade, many responsible teachers often require students with weak academic performance to stay behind for extra tutoring to help them grasp the knowledge and catch up with their peers. This is not motivated by profit, is not bad, and should be encouraged," Professor Hoang Van Cuong stated, highlighting the reality. Therefore, he proposed amending the regulation to: "It is prohibited to force students to participate in tutoring for personal gain in any form."

Furthermore, this representative also argued that teachers should be prioritized for purchasing social housing, not just low-income individuals, to ensure they have a place to live and can focus on their work.

Source: https://phunuvietnam.vn/dai-bieu-quoc-hoi-de-nghi-co-co-che-de-phu-huynh-hoc-sinh-bo-phieu-kin-danh-gia-giao-vien-20241109142649938.htm