Vietnamese teachers now have to compete with Google

A group of researchers from HCMC University of Education, including Dr Nguyen Thi Bich Hong, MA Dao Thi Duy Duyen and Dinh Thao Quyen, have conducted a survey of  53 grammar school teachers and 200 pedagogical students about recent news in the education sector.

Eleven percent of pedagogical students feel ashamed about their majors, while 46.5 percent said they were worried about the security of the teaching career.

Many incidents related to teachers have been reported recently. A teacher forced a student to drink water wrung from a board-cleaning cloth. Another teacher was criticized for her obscene behavior toward students. And nursery school teachers were found abusing children.

Many other teachers are the victims of aggressive parents. A teacher in Quang Binh province was seriously wounded after he was stabbed by a student. A pregnant teacher was forced by a father to kneel because the teacher had disciplined his son.

“I dare not say I am a pedagogical student. I just say I am following higher education when asked about my current job,” a female student said.

The researchers point out that this places difficulties in the training process and reduces the training effects of pedagogical schools.

Meanwhile, 26 percent of pedagogical students have not been influenced by the recent problems simply because the problems have existed for many years and are not surprised by them.

The students said they misbehaved at school and their younger brothers and sisters still have bad behavior.

Commenting about the students’ indifference to scandals in the education sector, the researchers said this was worrying because it reflects lack of disappointment about teachers’ morality and conduct.

However, the majority of students wanted to take actions to change the viewpoint of society about teaching career.

A teacher from Nguyen Du High School said teaching is a difficult job in the 4.0 revolution era. Teachers have to have broad knowledge in a wide range of disciplines to be able to satisfy students’ requirements and need to be fluent in English and IT.

Huynh Thanh Phu, headmaster of Nguyen Du High School, commented that modern teachers ‘have to compete with Google’ in providing knowledge to students. 

However, teachers cannot be replaced by Google, because teachers communicate with students and transfer knowledge to them in an emotional way. Teachers also should be kind and ethical.

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Kim Chi