Developing a team of preschool teachers to meet new requirements

GD&TĐ - According to Permanent Deputy Minister Pham Ngoc Thuong, preschool education is the foundation level, so training and improving the capacity of managers and teachers is extremely necessary.

On October 30, the Ministry of Education and Training held a Conference to review the Project "Training and fostering teachers and managers of preschool education in the period 2018-2025" (Project 33). Permanent Deputy Minister of Education and Training Pham Ngoc Thuong chaired the conference.

Strengthening capacity building

In his opening speech, the Deputy Minister affirmed that all levels of education, teachers and managers are decisive factors in the quality of education . Preschool is the foundation level, so training and improving the capacity and qualifications of managers and preschool teachers is extremely important and necessary."

According to the Deputy Minister, the standards for teachers and managers of preschool education are currently set lower than those for other levels in the Education Law. In practice, the capacity of this team is not high compared to the general level, and there are even teachers who do not meet the prescribed standards. This creates a contradiction between theory and practice.

Overview of the conference.

Reviewing the 7-year journey of implementing Project 33, the Deputy Minister assessed that this is a specialized and focused project, targeting preschool teachers and has achieved many positive results.

This conference is an opportunity for management agencies, training institutions, and localities to exchange, share, and propose solutions to further improve the quality of training and fostering preschool teachers in the coming period.

Reporting at the conference, Mr. Vu Minh Duc - Director of the Department of Teachers and Educational Managers (Ministry of Education and Training) - said that in the period 2019-2025, Project 33 has created clear changes in the quality of the team.

Accordingly, the training and fostering of teachers and preschool education managers gradually meets the requirements of educational innovation, especially in the context of digital transformation.

The team is equipped with additional knowledge, skills, school management techniques, advanced educational approaches, and application of information technology in management and teaching.

During the 2018-2020 period, the project provided advanced training from preschool pedagogical college level or higher for 257,790 out of a total of 347,895 teachers, reaching 74.1%, exceeding 70% of the set target.

Mr. Vu Minh Duc - Director of the Department of Teachers and Educational Managers (Ministry of Education and Training) reported at the conference.

In the 2021-2025 period, training to upgrade standards will be strongly implemented, aiming to complete the goal of standardizing the team according to the 2019 Education Law. By the end of the period, 90.5% of preschool teachers will have a degree from college level or higher.

Training and fostering facilities have updated and innovated their programs towards approaching output standards and professional competencies, in accordance with the Vietnamese National Qualifications Framework and professional standards for preschool teachers and principals.

The program is restructured in a modern, interdisciplinary direction, focusing on professional ethics, care skills and active teaching.

Scientific research activities in preschool education faculties are promoted; many international cooperation programs and practical linkages with local preschools are maintained, helping students practice practical pedagogical skills.

Despite encouraging results, the implementation of the Project is still limited in terms of funding, human resources and teacher shortages in some localities.

Delegates attending the conference.

Fostering management capacity and digital transformation

Speaking at the conference, Associate Professor Dr. Bui Thi Lam - Head of the Faculty of Preschool Education (Hanoi National University of Education) proposed that it is necessary to continue maintaining professional development activities for preschool teacher educators, in line with the context of educational innovation. According to her, it is necessary to develop separate professional development programs for each group of teachers according to actual needs, ensuring flexibility and effectiveness.

From local practice, Ms. Nguyen Thi Phuong Thuy - Vice Principal of Dien Bien Pedagogical College - informed: in the period 2018-2025, the school has trained professional titles for 2,514 preschool teachers, regularly trained more than 16,797 teachers and managers. Training activities, scientific research, and vocational skills training are diversified in form and focus on training soft skills for learners.

Associate Professor, Dr. Bui Thi Lam - Head of the Department of Preschool Education (Hanoi National University of Education) spoke at the conference.

Representative of Ho Chi Minh City, Ms. Le Thi Thuy Chau - Deputy Director of the Department of Education and Training, proposed that the Ministry of Education and Training soon issue digital competency standards for preschool teachers and managers, and at the same time build a national digital science repository for common use at this level of education.

She also proposed issuing specific policies to encourage the team to actively apply technology and digital transformation in child management, care and education.

Essential training – regular training

Concluding the conference, Permanent Deputy Minister Pham Ngoc Thuong acknowledged and highly appreciated the efforts of management agencies, educational training institutions and preschool teachers throughout the implementation of Project 33.

The Deputy Minister emphasized that the results of the Project implementation are not just numbers, but also a change in the thinking and awareness of the whole sector about preschool education and preschool teachers. This shows that when given due attention along with the utmost efforts of the teaching staff, all the set goals can be successfully achieved.

Permanent Deputy Minister Pham Ngoc Thuong concluded at the conference.

The Deputy Minister also noted that in the current context, preschool education faces many opportunities and challenges with policies on staff, universal preschool education for 3-5 year old children, new programs, digital transformation requirements and making English the second language in schools.

“The requirements for preschool teachers in the coming time will be even higher. In the comprehensive development of education and training, preschool education is not left out, the teaching staff must be upgraded” - the Deputy Minister emphasized.

To make training and fostering effective, the Deputy Minister suggested that localities continue to raise awareness of the role of preschool teachers; when teachers' capacity is improved, the main beneficiaries are students.

At the same time, training institutions need to have flexible policies to attract good lecturers and students to the preschool education sector. “Training is an important task, fostering is a regular task. During the training process, it is necessary to review, update and assess the quality. Training and fostering must be substantial in quality, promote the qualities and capacities of the team, and closely follow the practice of preschool education in the locality,” the Deputy Minister noted.

Permanent Deputy Minister Pham Ngoc Thuong awarded Certificates of Merit to collectives and individuals.

Permanent Deputy Minister Pham Ngoc Thuong awarded Certificates of Merit to collectives and individuals.

At the conference, Deputy Minister Pham Ngoc Thuong awarded Certificates of Merit from the Minister of Education and Training to collectives and individuals with outstanding achievements in implementing the Project "Training and fostering teachers and preschool education managers for the period 2018-2025".

Source: https://giaoducthoidai.vn/phat-trien-doi-ngu-giao-vien-mam-non-dap-ung-yeu-cau-moi-post754675.html