VietNamNet Bridge – In the education sector, Vietnam is considered a poor spendthrift. It has spent much money on renovating the education curriculums, but has not got the desired effects.

Commenting about the ongoing curriculum and textbook renovation program, experts have warned that if the Ministry of Education and Training (MOET) cannot find feasible solutions, it would, once again, waste the money.

Dr. Tran Thi Tam Dan, former Chair of the National Assembly’s Committee for Culture, Education, the Youth and Children, has expressed her doubts about the efficiency of the curriculum and textbook renovation program, once MOET does not show how to implement the program.

According to Dan, improving the qualification of the teaching staff and upgrade the material facilities of schools proves to be the two most important components of the renovation plan. However, both of them have not been mentioned in the ministry’s plan draft.

Dr. Le Kim Long from the Hanoi National University has suggested carrying out a survey on the application of the currently applied curriculums and textbooks to find out the shortcomings to be fixed. He noted that the existing shortcomings could be blamed on the way of implementing the curriculum, not the curriculum’s quality.

Sharing the same view, Professor Nguyen Minh Thuyet noted that the modern teaching methods could not be applied, while teachers would not be able to take care for all the students, if there are 50-60 students in every class.

“It is foreseeable that we will not be able to do the things mentioned in the MOET’s renovation plan after 2015,” commented Dr. Nguyen Huu Chau, former Head of the Vietnam Education Science Institute.

“How can we apply the integration teaching method if there has been no change in the way of training at pedagogical schools?” he questioned. “How can students learn their optional subjects if there is limited number of classroom, while there is no sign of improvement in the next 10 years?”

One curriculum, many textbooks?

The question also remains answered, because this has not been found in the MOET’s drafted renovation plan.

The information about the “one curriculum, different sets of textbooks” mechanism that MOET once mentioned in the past, has not been found in the latest two important documents made public for opinions.

“It is unclear if there will be one or many sets of textbook for every learning subject,” Thuyet said.

In principle MOET will compile textbooks for every learning subject. However, it is unclear if other individuals and institutions can also compile textbooks based on the curriculums set by MOET. If yes, what agencies they need to contact for licenses, who they should contact to have their compiled documents edited and approved.

Curriculums changed once in every five years?

MOET believes that in the context of the rapid development of science and technology and the big changes of people’s lives, the “life expectancy” of the general education curriculum needs to be shortened, from 10 years at the end of the 20th century to 5-6 years.

However, Professor Thuyet commented that it would be a great waste if a curriculum can exist only for 5-6 years, once it costs much time (from now to 2022) and money.

Tien Phong