Having devoted his entire life to the industry, former Minister of Education and Training Tran Hong Quan made educational decisions that were considered new and bold, "unleashing" university education and building the foundation for general education.
Today (August 27), the funeral of Professor Dr. Tran Hong Quan was held with high-level funeral ceremony at the Southern National Funeral Home (Go Vap District, Ho Chi Minh City).
With more than 60 years of "growing people" career, there are still things that he has been struggling with inthe education sector that he has not been able to solve.
During an intimate meeting at the private home of Professor Tran Hong Quan in 2019, talking with Mr. Vo Van Thuong (when he was Head of the Central Propaganda Department), the former Minister expressed his concerns about the path of education in our country.
Mr. Quan commented that Vietnamese students may be better at academics than students in countries with good education systems such as the US, Canada, Finland... However, they are inferior in terms of independent thinking, self-study, and self-research.
Instead of being good at math and learning a lot of knowledge to solve exercises well, students in developed countries are taught how to think logically and critically.
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| Mr. Vo Van Thuong visited and sent congratulations to former Minister Tran Hong Quan on Vietnamese Teachers' Day, November 20, 2019. (Photo: AN-LĐ) |
Professor Tran Hong Quan once emphasized: "We have won high prizes in academic competitions, and our teaching program is also heavy on knowledge but not good at teaching students critical thinking and the ability to self-explore and research."
Therefore, Mr. Quan believes that the philosophy of general education in Vietnam is going against the world and needs to be reoriented. The country's education sector needs to build a general foundation and clear program goals for general education.
He said: "If general education is the foundation, then university education must be accelerated, only then can the country develop."
During a conversation with Mr. Nguyen Thien Nhan on the occasion of Vietnam Teachers' Day 2019, the former Minister worried that teachers are still suffering too much.
Prof. Dr. Tran Hong Quan emphasized that the innovation of the industry cannot create motivation if it does not improve the income and life of teachers. He said that the issue of improving income for teachers is urgent, because the education industry needs to retain talented people.
He told the Secretary of Ho Chi Minh City at that time: "If we want to attract good people, we must ensure a minimum living standard for teachers. But for decades, teachers have still suffered too much. That is a big problem, worth discussing."
In 2017, when discussing the abolition of teacher payrolls by former Minister of Education and Training Phung Xuan Nha, Professor Tran Hong Quan recalled previous proposals.
He expressed that he had discovered the limitations of the State payroll system in the education sector and proposed solutions since 1991-1992, but had not been able to implement them.
He shared that the state payroll system has positive aspects, creating stability for the team and peace of mind for workers. However, its negative side is terrible stagnation.
The professor frankly expressed that the state payroll is like a safe basket for those who do not strive without being fired. On the other hand, it is also a narrow cage where dynamic, creative and talented people can only "dance with sticks" in it.
From those negative aspects, the state payroll mechanism lacks screening for optimal selection and lacks competition, thus eliminating labor motivation and limiting development.
When implementing this policy in both periods under Minister Tran Hong Quan and later Minister Phung Xuan Nha, it was met with fierce opposition because many teachers thought that "they felt hurt!".
Professor Tran Hong Quan assessed that this is a policy that shakes the entire education system and it is very difficult to make a decision that affects so many people. Emotions can shake rational thinking.
Instead of the payroll, he proposed a teaching contract system and a salary system based on quality. This would allow teachers to have full authority to decide on the amount of work they undertake, their income, and be responsible for teaching, training, research, and deadlines for completing their work.
This means that teachers' jobs, incomes, and lives are closely linked to the completion of their teaching tasks. This is the source of self-motivation for each teacher as well as the entire team.
However, more than 30 years later, he still firmly advocates the abolition of teacher status and believes that we should persevere, for the "greater good". However, he emphasizes that even with changes, it is still necessary to understand all aspects of loyalty and have appropriate policies for teachers who have contributed to education.
Professor Tran Hong Quan was born on February 15, 1937, in My Quoi commune, Nga Nam district, Soc Trang province. He passed away on August 25, 2023 in Ho Chi Minh City. He is a former member of the Party Central Committee of the 6th, 7th and 8th terms, former Secretary of the Party Committee, and a National Assembly Delegate of the 8th and 10th terms. Professor Tran Hong Quan began his education career in 1961 as a lecturer at Hanoi University of Technology. He then moved to Ho Chi Minh City to become the Principal of Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology from 1976 to 1982. From 1987 to 1997, he was Minister of Universities, Vocational Secondary Schools and Vocational Training, later the Ministry of Education and Training. After retiring, he became Chairman of the Association of Vietnamese Universities and Colleges and then Chairman of the Advisory Board of the Association of Vietnamese Universities and Colleges until his death. |
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