The Ministry of Education and Training’s new national professional standards for kindergarten teachers and principals will act as a base to rebuild training programmes at universities and colleges of education.

Kindergarten teachers in HCM City receive awards at a closing ceremony for the academic year. – VNS Photo Gia Loc

Speaking at a conference held on Tuesday in HCM City, Dr Nguyen Hai Thap, deputy head of the ministry’s Agency of Teachers and Education Administrators, said the previous standards, which were seven to 10 years old, led to regulations that were not suited to innovations in training programmes at kindergartens.

The programme has been amended to meet the demands of comprehensive school reform.

In late October, the ministry issued the new national professional standards which are expected to help management offices offer guidance on proper assessment methods and policies on salaries, allowances and bonuses.

The standards will also help teachers and managers create plans to improve professional teaching capacity and skills.

Dr Nguyen Thi My Trinh, director of the Viet Nam National Institute of Educational Science’s Centre for Early Childhood Educational Research, said the old standards had not properly assessed teachers’ capacity and skills.

Based on these previous standards, many provinces and cities classified 90-100 per cent of teachers as excellent and moderately good, while the quality of pre-school education had failed to meet society’s demands, Trinh said.

Child abuse still occurs and the quality of care has yet to improve, she said, adding that it was necessary to issue the new standards.

The new standards include regulations about foreign languages and computers.

The standards include 15 criteria for kindergarten teachers and 18 for rectors, including standards on autonomy and school administration.

Cu Thi Thuy of the Agency of Teachers and Education Administrators said that requirements about foreign languages and computers for teachers and managers at kindergartens are the same as the graduation requirements of universities in the country.

The ministry will continue to offer suggestions about retraining programmes for teaching staff and managers.

Source: VietNamNet – VNS