The Ministry of Education and Training (MOET) has released a series of instructions to guide schools in preparing for the new school year, which is scheduled to begin in early September.

Schools and kindergartens in Hanoi have kept their doors closed since August 7 after the Hanoi Education and Training Department asked them to close temporarily after receiving confirmation about 10 students and teachers infected with H1N1 at three schools in Hanoi

Schools in Hanoi said that though they have closed temporarily, they still have staff on duty, while teachers have been asked to keep in regular contact with students’ parents to keep them updated.

Leaders of Vietnam-Australia School, which is located next to the two schools which have flu-infected students, said that the school’s students have been off of school since August, while it has been trying to sterilise the environment by spraying chemicals and purchasing necessary equipment to fight flu.

According to Nguyen Hiep Thong, Senior Official of the Hanoi Education and Training Department, the department has decided to gather students on August 17 and to officially open the new school year on September 5. However, if the flu epidemic becomes uncontrollable, the start will be pushed back further.

However, Phung Khac Binh, Deputy Head of the School Healthcare Committee under MOET, said that in Hanoi and HCM City, the two cities where there are the most H1N1-infected students, the flu epidemic is still in control. He said that it is likely the school year will open as scheduled on September 5.

‘Read-and write down’ teaching method must be stopped

Deputy Minister of MOET Nguyen Vinh Hien said that in the 2009-2010 school year, MOET will focus on education renovation and quality improvement.

Hien said that the programme will focus on renovating teaching methods and methods of evaluating and testing students. The ‘read-and-write down teaching method’ must be stopped.

A lot of seminars will be organised in which examples of renovating teaching methods will be introduced. MOET will release documents that guide the renovation of teaching methods, build up libraries of questions and exercises for students and teachers’ reference.

Schools need to create the best conditions for teachers to teach students in accordance with standard and higher-than-standard curriculums, depending on students’ capabilities, according to the ministry.

Education universalisation programme needs to target both quality and quantity

MOET on August 5 released a draft regulation on recognising primary education universalisation.

Primary schools will be recognised as having met primary education universalisation if they have 95-98 percent of children of 1^st grade age attending first grade, 80-90 percent of children of the correct ages fulfilling primary school curriculums for their respective age groups. The educational establishments have to have 1.2-1.3 teachers per class (degree 1) and 1.2-1.35 teachers per class (degree 2), 80-100 percent of teachers meeting standards and 20-50 percent of teachers above standard in training capability.

Moreover, educational establishments have to meet other requirements in material facilities, including classrooms, libraries, healthcare rooms, school yards, clean water and safe toilets.

Localities will be recognised as having education universalisation if they have 90 percent or more educational establishments meeting the requirements for education universalisation.

Teaching 1^st grade curriculum in advance prohibited

MOET is striving to bring 20 percent of children of the correct age to nursery schools and 80 percent of children of the correct age to pre-school educational establishments. Meanwhile, 95 percent of five-year-old children need to be brought to schools, of which 70-75 percent of children can go to classes in both the morning and afternoon.

MOET has also asked localities to stop teaching kindergarten children the curriculum for 1^st grade students.

VietNamNet/TT