Many confusing questions

A LOCAL LICENSE FOR "ACTION IS KEY"

Ms. Vy Thuy Huong, a secondary school teacher in Bac Giang City (Bac Giang province) with nearly 30 years of teaching experience, shared: "When I read the news about the Ministry of Education and Training's plan to include a requirement for teachers to have a professional certificate in the Law on Teachers, my colleagues and I were very confused because the Ministry of Education and Training did not provide any explanations such as: Do teachers who have already been teaching need to do anything else to obtain a certificate? Which agency will issue it?..."

According to Ms. Huong, she is also a "victim" of various certifications, having spent a lot of time, effort, and money studying and taking exams to obtain certificates such as foreign language, computer skills, and professional title certificates for teachers. Recently, ministries and departments deemed them unnecessary, overly formal, and costly, so they decided to abolish them. "And yet now we hear information that teachers must have professional certificates without any specific details. It would be strange if teachers weren't worried," Ms. Huong said.

Teachers exchange professional knowledge after class.

Speaking to Thanh Nien newspaper, Dr. Nguyen Tung Lam, Vice President of the Vietnam Association of Psychological and Educational Sciences, also stated: "The agency drafting the Law on Teachers, when introducing a new regulation or policy that significantly impacts the teaching staff, such as professional certificates, should clearly state the target group, the reasons for adding the regulation, the expected impact of the policy when applying this regulation, and which agency has the authority to issue professional certificates to teachers… If requiring teachers to have a professional certificate is merely an administrative procedure to… harass teachers, then I will oppose it to the end," said Dr. Lam.

However, Dr. Lam also argued that if professional certification is truly necessary to improve the quality of teachers, it must answer a series of accompanying questions. Countries that require professional certification for teachers usually entrust professional associations with the supervision and issuance of these certificates. With this certification, teachers would be given more autonomy and responsibility, reducing the burden of formal reporting and paperwork that has been prevalent until now. "Even so, we need to be very careful and cautious when applying professional certification in our country. Improving the quality of teachers is especially important, but to achieve that, we must first improve the quality of training at teacher training colleges. If we can do that, then requiring teachers to go through additional 'procedures' to obtain professional certification after graduation will no longer be necessary," Dr. Lam stated.

WHERE IS A CERTIFICATE NEEDED TO RESOLVE TEACHER ISSUES?

Teacher Nguyen Xuan Khang, President of Marie Curie School ( Hanoi ), stated his opinion: There is a theoretical and practical basis for this proposal. In fact, many countries already have professional certifications for teachers.

However, what impact would requiring teachers to have professional certifications have on society? Currently, we have nearly 1.5 million teachers from preschool, primary, secondary, college, vocational, and university levels. "This is no small matter!" Mr. Khang said, raising a series of questions: What are the standards for obtaining a professional certification? Which authority has the power to issue it? After how many years does the certification expire, and what must be done to renew it? The time, effort, and money required to obtain a professional certification?… All these questions create tangible and intangible anxieties. "Teachers need professional certifications! This worry is not unique to anyone," Mr. Khang exclaimed.

Mr. Khang also emphasized: "A few teachers violating professional ethics is not a significant reason to grant professional practice certificates to nearly 1.5 million people en masse. Having professional practice certificates is not the only way to address teachers who violate professional ethics. The current mechanism is still sufficient to handle these cases."

There have been proposals and numerous counterarguments.

The proposal for professional certification for teachers is not new. In 2019, at a seminar to provide feedback on the draft Education Law 2019, Mr. Le Quan Tan, former Director of the Department of Secondary Education, argued that teaching certification is very important, and that countries with developed education systems like Japan have already implemented this certification for those who truly meet the requirements. Mr. Tan suggested that if teachers have a professional certification, those who violate ethics or engage in violent behavior towards students will have their certification revoked immediately.

However, this proposal faced considerable opposition at the time. Associate Professor Chu Cam Tho from the Vietnam Institute of Educational Sciences stated: First, we must define what constitutes teaching practice before we can discuss granting professional licenses. For example, a lawyer's license is granted to self-employed individuals, not civil servants. While it's right to allow teachers to practice their profession, there must be conditions for doing so. Professional standards may remain stable, but professional competence can change periodically, adapting to the evolving educational needs of each country. Therefore, a certification exam should be held every 3-5 years. Teachers must constantly update their skills, innovate, and be assessed on their adaptability.

Many argue that in our country, the teaching profession also has an 18-month probationary period, but almost 100% of teachers pass because the quality of professional practice is low. Thus, while the legal framework exists, it is not being implemented rigorously or effectively. Therefore, instead of creating a professional certificate, measures should be taken to ensure that teacher training colleges effectively implement the practical training and internships for their students.

Opinion

Bridging the gap between theory and practice.

Professional certification is necessary because reality shows that there is always a potential gap between the academic competence of graduates and their practical teaching skills. Many practical pedagogical skills, the application of technology in lesson design and teaching, classroom management, and interpersonal skills with students and colleagues are lacking compared to teaching requirements. Furthermore, higher education is broad education, creating a foundation for lifelong learning, unlike vocational training which is narrow. Teachers must be capable of lifelong learning after graduating from university. Within a four-year timeframe, the opportunities for practical experience are insufficient, so they need experience to bridge the gap between theory and practice...

Mr. Hoang Ngoc Vinh (Former Director of the Department of Professional Education, Ministry of Education and Training)

In the long run, this creates conditions for negative consequences.

The issuance of teaching licenses helps to some extent in improving the quality of the teaching staff. However, during the four years of university teacher training, each student receives extensive skills training and undergoes numerous hours of observation and practical training before graduating and becoming a teacher. In their first year of teaching, teachers still have to undergo a probationary period. So, is a professional certificate necessary? Currently, the newly amended law stipulates that civil servants recruited from July 1, 2020, will sign fixed-term contracts. During each year of the fixed-term contract, if a teacher violates regulations or is unsuitable for the job requirements, they can be disciplined and have their contract terminated based on the Education Law, rather than creating cumbersome paperwork and procedures. In the long run, issuing certificates may create opportunities for corruption and hinder the achievement of the original positive goals and objectives.

Ms. Pham Le Thanh , M.Sc. (Teacher at Nguyen Hien High School, District 11, Ho Chi Minh City)

Professional certificates don't mean much.

According to the Ministry of Education and Training, retired teachers will be granted certificates if they so desire. Education must be constantly reformed, so this regulation does not reflect this reform. While certificates may be issued to retired teachers if needed, they don't carry much significance. Currently, there are many teaching methods, such as online, so is a certificate still necessary? Therefore, professional certificates don't hold much meaning. What's important is that educational institutions self-assess the competence, professional qualifications, and professional standards of their teaching staff to gradually meet the ever-changing demands of education."

Mr. Tran Van Toan , M.Sc. (former head of the mathematics department, Marie Curie High School, District 3, Ho Chi Minh City)

Bich Thanh - Tuyet Mai

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