VietNamNet Bridge - The low quality of arts teachers has been blamed for problems in arts education at general schools in Vietnam.

Deputy Minister of Education and Training Nguyen Vinh Hien

A high school teacher in Hanoi noted that many arts teachers don’t have good knowledge and high pedagogical skills because they don’t like this job. 

“Capable students register to study to become math, literature or English teachers. Less capable students go to arts pedagogy schools as the last resort,” he explained.

“As universities cannot find talented students, they cannot produce high-quality teachers,” he said.

Regarding training quality, Nguyen Dang Nghi, a renowned education expert, said the documents and teaching model of the National Music Institute are applied to train arts teachers.

“With such easy requirements on students and the teaching method, no one can be sure about the quality of future arts teachers,” he said.

Also according to Nghi, general schools have enough arts teachers and they have stopped the employment. Therefore, music education training is no longer popular and the number of students registering to follow the major has decreased sharply.

Meanwhile, privately run arts training centers in provinces have been developing well. 

“If comparing training quality in recent years to more than 10 years ago, one would see that poor training quality is alarming,” he said.

Bachelors of arts pedagogy 

Commenting about the quality of students, Do Quang Minh from the Central Arts Education University, noted the problem lies in the arts aptitude exam. The arts students don’t have a talent and passion for arts.

“As a result, arts schools produce bachelors who cannot teach arts,” he commented, adding that it is necessary to reform enrolment to ensure the quality of students.

Hoang Lan, a musician from the Hanoi Music Association, attributed the low training quality to too many training centers. 

According to Lan, in Hanoi alone, there are six training establishments which produce arts teachers.

“Too many schools have opened, which has resulted in an overabundance of teachers,” he commented. “Meanwhile, schools, in order to enroll as many learners as possible, ignore the requirements on aptitude, the most important criterion arts teachers must have”.

A music teacher in Hanoi said it was unfair to blame arts teachers for the unsatisfactory arts education at general schools.

“Arts education has never been paid appropriate attention to,” she complained. “Students spend most of their time on math and literature because they think these are the most important subjects”.

“Headmasters of schools also do not attach much importance to our work,” she said.

Tien Phong