As planned, schools across the province will hold the opening ceremony of the 2013-2014 new school year on Sept. 5. The provincial department of Education and Training chooses the theme of “renovating substance, efficiency, improving sustainable quality” for this school year. On this occasion, Binh Duong Newspaper had an interview with Duong The Phuong, director of the provincial department of Education and Training about key tasks in the new academic year.   Students of Nguyen Viet Xuan secondary school in Thu Dau Mot city welcome eagerly the new school year.

What do you think of the done results in the school year of 2012-2013?

In the school year of 2012-2013, the local sector of Education and Training continued maintaining stability in educational development, despite a unexpected increase of the number of students with more than 22,000.

The province reached high results in primary universalization education. Especially, the locality basically completed pre-school educational universalization, 2 years ahead of schedule. In the past school year, quality of education was improved with over 56% of students gaining the required marks and above in the university entrance exams, an 8% increase from the past school year. The real quality is an effort and assistance made by cadres, managers, teachers and local authorities.

The number of students continues sky-rocketing in the school year of 2013-2014. Will this increase impact on education work, sir?

In the new school year, the provincial sector of Education and Training meets difficulties, owing to strong increase on the number of students at some localities such as Thu Dau Mot city, Thuan An town, Ben Cat district whilst material facilities at schools are in shortage.

The sector has made efforts to maintain teaching 2 sessions per day in a bid to ensure seats for all students and even schools use all functional rooms to serve for students’ learning.

With the theme of “renovating substance and improving sustainable quality”, what measures will the sector set out to implement the theme effectively?

The school year of 2013-2014 is the important transitional year of implementing the 11th Central Party Committee’s Resolution and the 9th provincial party committee’s Resolution and is the year of launching the action plan on implementing the Vietnamese educational development strategy for the period of 2011-2020. Accordingly, the entire educational sector has focused on big contents including the mobilization “every teacher is a moral example on self-learning and creation” and the emulation movement of “Building friendly schools and positive students” into an action plan.

In addition, the sector has asked schools and educational facilities to build the action plan through concrete deeds. In the new school year, the whole sector has involved positively in the movement of studying and following Uncle Ho’s teachings through 3 large contents of responsibility in work, example in life and democracy in action.

This year, the sector has concentrated on improving capacity and efficiency of managerial work. To excel the work, the sector will continue renovating and reinforcing managerial apparatus, fostering and improving capacity of cadres, innovating teaching methods, applying IT into teaching.

In addition, to win real quality, the sector has paid much attention to renovating exam and inspection works. At present, the department has set out some inspections and mid-semester exams for students. Especially, in this school year, the sector has paid much attention to teaching efficiency through various projects.

Additionally, the sector has invested in material facilities and teaching equipments for all schools throughout the province. At present, 50% of local schools have been equipped facilities of teaching foreign languages for students. Moreover, the sector will continue set out many policies to urge socialization at pre-school level in a bid to meet students’ demand on learning.

The new school year is approaching, what advices will you give to local teachers?

In this new academic year, the number of students has sky-rocketed plus many difficulties have emerged but with successes of the 2012-2013 school year, the sector will set out determinations in this new school year. On this occasion, I urge all managers, teachers to excel their tasks for the sake of the common mission of the entire sector.

Thanks a lot!  

Reported by A.Sang – Translated by A.C