Do teachers need a professional certificate?

This is a new content included in the draft Law on Teachers, which is being consulted by the Ministry of Education and Training. If passed, the law is expected to take effect from 2027.

Lecturer of Ho Chi Minh City University of Technical Education guides students in practice

The Government has issued Resolution No. 95, unanimously approving the proposal of the Ministry of Education and Training on the necessity of promulgating the Law on Teachers. Of which, 5 policies include: identification of teachers; standards and titles of teachers; recruitment, use and working regime of teachers; training, fostering, treatment and honoring of teachers; State management of teachers. These contents were introduced by the Ministry of Education and Training at a professional consultation workshop of representatives of 30 highereducation institutions on the development of the Law on Teachers on January 19.

SUBJECTS TO BE GRANTED CERTIFICATES OF TEACHING PROFESSION

Accordingly, teachers are expected to be defined as those who meet the professional standards of teachers according to regulations, and perform teaching and education tasks in educational institutions in the national education system. In particular, teachers who teach in preschools, general education, primary and secondary education of vocational education institutions and other educational institutions are called teachers. Teachers who teach from college level and above, and those who perform training and fostering of cadres and civil servants are called lecturers. Teachers who retire will continue to be called teachers.

The teacher professional standards include professional criteria for teachers applied to each teacher title at each level of education and training for uniform use nationwide. The results of the assessment of teacher professional standards are the basis for recruitment, employment, appointment, dismissal, dismissal and assessment of teachers' qualifications and capacity. Notably, this policy introduces for the first time the teacher professional certificate.

Mr. Vu Minh Duc, Director of the Department of Teachers and Educational Managers (Ministry of Education and Training), said that the certificate of professional teaching is a document issued by a competent educational management agency of Vietnam to a person who meets the professional standards of a teacher, meeting the requirements for professional teaching activities; replacing the decision to recognize the completion of the internship regime and the training certificate according to the current standards of professional teaching titles.

According to Mr. Duc, those who are granted a professional certificate include: those who have completed their internship and met professional standards; those who are currently teachers; retired teachers; and foreign teachers who meet the conditions. For example, teachers who have been granted a professional certificate when they are recruited to work as teachers at a public educational institution or when they are transferred and sign a contract at another educational institution do not need to complete the internship. When they have a professional certificate, teachers can teach in inter-schools or teach as guest lecturers at other institutions. The transfer of teachers between public and non-public institutions and the transfer of teachers between localities are implemented more conveniently, ensuring uniformity in the quality of teaching and education.

In addition, some other cases, if needed, can also be granted this certificate. For example, retired teachers who still teach at educational institutions under labor contracts. Foreign teachers who meet the conditions prescribed by the competent educational management agency.

Master Nguyen Hai Ninh, Vice Principal of Hoa Sen University, is concerned about the identification of teachers.

WORKING IN UNIVERSITY but not teaching, is it still considered a teacher?

Sharing at the workshop on January 19, representatives of many university education institutions expressed their opinions on the information about the first-time sharing of professional certificates for teachers.

Master Nguyen Hai Ninh, Vice Principal of Hoa Sen University, is concerned about the identification of teachers. Are managers at universities who do not teach, such as the head of the training department or the head of the human resources department, considered teachers? Mr. Ninh suggested that the Teachers Law should clarify this.

"Regarding the title of teacher, we have standards for lecturer, senior lecturer, and senior lecturer for lecturers in the public sector. But we do not have them for lecturers in the private sector. I propose to develop synchronous standards between lecturers in the public and private sectors because currently there is a lot of exchange of lecturers between these two systems. I propose to have detailed regulations on the titles of lecturers in the private sector," Mr. Ninh raised the issue.

Regarding the professional certificate, Mr. Ninh said that this is a very good proposal of the Law on Teachers. According to Mr. Ninh, the certificate should be built in the direction of a practice certificate. Mr. Ninh analyzed: "For university lecturers, we take resources from masters, doctors and even private schools that do not have an internship period but only a trial period to become a lecturer. Therefore, there should be an examination so that those who have the qualifications, capacity, and moral qualities to pass the examination will receive a certificate and can be used nationwide".

Mr. Ninh further suggested: "There should be time for the teacher's professional certificate. The qualifications, capacity, teaching methods, style, and ethics should be periodically reviewed."

Regarding the handling of violations by lecturers, Mr. Ninh also said that when the Law on Teachers is issued, it is necessary to add specific regulations allowing schools to suspend teaching or dismiss teachers if they meet the legal requirements. At the same time, he requested the licensing authority to revoke the teacher's professional certificate.

Agreeing with the construction of the Law on Teachers, Associate Professor Dr. Bui Anh Thuy, Dean of the Faculty of Law, Van Lang University, is quite concerned about the certificate of professional teaching. Mr. Thuy said: "Professors, who are very prestigious in the academic field, need to do what procedures and who will issue this certificate of professional teaching for them. Previously, the Ministry issued master's and doctoral degrees, but for a long time now, universities have issued degrees for the highest level of education in our country... Now, adding a certificate of professional teaching, how should it be decentralized, and will it conflict with the existing titles, academic ranks, and degrees?"

Associate Professor, Dr. Bui Anh Thuy also said that it would be difficult to implement the regulation that those who are granted a teacher certificate do not need to go through an internship when they are accepted into other institutions or transferred between localities. The reason given, according to Mr. Thuy, is that the public university system currently has completely autonomous schools, they have the right to accept or not accept someone, and so do private schools. This regulation will face obstacles even with completely autonomous schools. (continued)

Free level

The certificate of professional teaching is issued free of charge, is valid nationwide and is valid for the entire period of time the teacher is engaged in teaching and education, except in cases of revocation or temporary suspension. The certificate will be revoked when the competent authority assesses that the teacher has failed to complete his/her duties for 2 consecutive years; violates discipline to the extent of being forced to quit or be fired; or the application for the certificate is not in accordance with regulations. The certificate will be temporarily suspended in cases where the teacher is temporarily suspended from teaching and education by the competent education management agency. In case of loss or change of information about professional activities, the certificate can be reissued.

Regulations on professional standards for teachers

To date, the country has more than 1.6 million teachers, including nearly 80,000 university and college lecturers with more than 48,000 masters, more than 24,000 doctors, nearly 5,000 professors and associate professors. The education sector's career establishment accounts for about 70% of the total career establishment nationwide. Professional standards for teachers are currently according to the 2019 Education Law and the instructions of the Ministry of Education and Training. At each level of education, teachers and lecturers, depending on their years of work, having a professional title certificate and meeting the Ministry's criteria, will be classified from level I to level III. This is the basis for salary classification in public schools. Private school teachers and lecturers, when transferring to the public sector, must take civil servant exams, study and take professional title certificates, and meet a number of other regulations.

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