Material facilities meet requirements for new general educational curriculum

From school year 2020-2021, the whole country will implement a new general educational curriculum, starting from grade 1 until 2025. According to Ministry of Education and Training, the new general educational curriculum focuses on innovating teaching and assessment methods. To meet teaching requirements under the new education program, Binh Duong has an active preparation, when the application time is getting closer. In order to better understand these issues, Binh Duong Newspaper met Nguyen Hong Sang, Director of provincial Department of Education and Training.

Students buy textbooks on Vietnamese Book Day.

- To prepare for the implementation of the new general education program in 2020, what has Binh Duong Education and Training sector done so far?

- On 26 Dec 2018, the Minister of Education and Training signed Circular No. 32/2018 / TT-BGDĐT to issue a new general education program. Accordingly, Binh Duong has actively prepared for this renovation according to the directed roadmap. The Department advised Provincial People's Committee to set up a steering committee for renewing textbooks and curriculums. The Department also invited related departments and agencies such as Department of Finance, Department of Home Affairs, Department of Planning and Investment ... to send members for collaboration to follow the roadmap. Besides, the Department also drafted the implementation plan to submit to Provincial People's Committee.

- To prepare a teaching staff meeting requirements for the new general educational curriculum, what have education training sector done?

- Regarding teaching staff, the sector reviewed and evaluated the situation, determined teacher’s needs for each subject, class, and level to develop a plan for staff arrangement and supplement; Developing plans and cooperating with teacher training institutions to organize trainings and retrainings to implement the new program in line with Ministry of Education and Training's plan. Particularly for the new general educational curriculum, the ministry also had an official dispatch to convene managers of the department and branch offices to participate in a training in early May. Currently, the sector selected 14 managers to participate in this training. After this training, the core staff will disseminate new knowledge to all teachers. The retraining of teachers will also be carried out according to the roadmap, 1st-grade teachers will be trained firstly, because the first implementation school year (2020-2021) the new program will applied to 1st grades.

- How did teachers actively implement teaching innovations?

- To perform basic and comprehensive innovation in  education and training under Resolution No. 29 of the Party Central Committee, the sector has concretized this through the movement "Innovation in teaching and learning". Thereby each teacher has been self-consciously innovating and being creatively in teaching, each teacher has raised their sense of self-improvement, self-learning to improve professional qualifications; and actively renewed teaching methods. Teachers at all levels have initially implemented teaching innovation steps through interdisciplinary teaching, project-based teaching, actively applying information technology in combination with using creative devices and tools.

- According to the new general educational curriculum, the feasible condition is that primary schools must have capacity for 2 teaching sessions / day. Particularly in Binh Duong, the number of students increases every year, many schools have to cut these classes. So, what are solutions of education training sector to ensure good material facilities and conditions to effectively implement the new program?

- In recent years, the construction of school facilities in the province has received attention from provincial leaders, annual budget for education accounts for about 25% of the total budget expenditure of the province. In response to the increasing demand, every year the province has new school buildings, especially in areas with strong industrial development. In order to ensure the development of Education and Training, Provincial Party Committee and Provincial People's Committee directed the sector to continue implementing projects and plans according to the requirements of educational development. In the period of 2017-2025, the province will increase investment capital for education and training sector, and at the same time have timely financial solutions to support the new program’s performance.

According to the implementation plan for ensuring material facilities in the period of 2017-2025, only at primary level, 100% communes, wards and towns will have public primary schools that meet student’s learning needs. Primary schools will be invested with classrooms to ensure 1 class / room, functional rooms: Physical education, art, informatics, foreign languages, educational equipment, support disability education, library. 100% public primary schools will be fully equipped with tools, two-seat tables and chairs, computers, and foreign language classrooms according to the roadmap and guidance of Ministry of Education and Training.

To meet school facility requirements for the new education program, the province adjusted the priority list of schools for construction investment in the province in period 2018-2020 and period 2021-2025. In addition, the sector also planed for purchasing new teaching equipment, thus, we can affirm that school facilities and teaching equipment in the province are guaranteed to meet requirements of the new general educational curriculum in 2020.

- Madam, so far local history and geography has been integrated into curriculums, so will this continue to be implemented in the new program?

- The new general educational curriculum will still have local history and geography. Currently, the department is assigning staff and experts at each level, and at the same time inviting Education Publishing House’s editorial board of history and geography program to participate in compiling and editing. The department will then submit to Provincial Party Commission for Propagation and Training for evaluation and then teach in parallel with the new education program when it comes into effect.

- Thank you!

Reported by Hong Thai - Translated by Ngoc Huynh