Most head teachers of schools in Vietnam have been promoted from the ranks of teachers – often meaning they stand accused of being poor managers.

As such, principals can be good teachers but can find themselves short on training in management skills.

In neighboring countries, like Singapore, head teacher accreditation is possible only after achieving a degree in management.

The process is quite different in Vietnam. Principals only attend short term management courses after they are accredited. Nguyen Bac Dung, head teacher of Tran Dai Nghia Gifted High School in District 1 of HCM City, said this is a big problem. He said it is necessary to have a better process of accreditation and to draw up long term plan to develop principals and deputy principals for the future.

Agreeing with Dung, deputy head teacher of Nguyen Thuong Hien High School Truong Quang Dung said most of principals are leading their schools just with experience they have.

“Experience alone is not enough for principals to make the necessary breakthroughs in education,” he said.

Principals nowadays have to manage a labor force, control facilities and finances. Some principals even have contribute several teaching hours per week.

Dung from Nguyen Thuong Hien School joked he cannot see any foreign principals who are better than Vietnamese ones because foreign principals cannot undertake so many roles and do as many jobs at the same time like Vietnamese principals.

Dung from Tran Dai Nghia school said school principals need to have long term vision and need to set up policies for their school’s development.

Principals of Trung Phu High School in HCM City agreed, saying that if principals just follow examples of other schools, they will never make any breakthrough in standards and methods of eduation.

Meanwhile,the principal of Phu Nhuan School blames the current mechanism for not encouraging principals to take the initiative in their work.

VietNamNet/Dat Viet