Are teachers teaching Vietnamese to pre-first-grade children required to understand the local cultures?

Are teachers teaching Vietnamese to pre-first-grade children required to understand the local cultures?

Under Clause 2, Article 12 of Circular 23/2023/TT-BGDDT stipulating teachers teaching Vietnamese to pre-first-grade children:

Implementation condition preparation

1. Regarding physical facilities and teaching supplies:

a) Teaching and learning location at a primary school: at headquarters or branches of the primary school, ensuring convenient travel, safety, and appropriateness to children's psychology and physiology.

b) Classrooms shall ensure hygiene, safety, airiness, adequate lighting, appropriate tables and chairs as per regulation, and sufficient clean water; have local culture areas, language learning support areas, etc.

c) Assurance of sufficient teaching supplies, equipment, and documents for Vietnamese teaching and learning for children, ensuring effectiveness and quality.

2. Regarding teachers:

a) Teachers shall be arranged to teach Vietnamese to children. Teachers who have good qualifications and solid teaching skills, know ethnic languages, and understand the local and ethnic cultures of children shall be prioritized.

b) Teachers shall be trained in the contents and methods of Vietnamese teaching for children, second-language teaching methods for Vietnamese preparation for children, and native languages (first languages) of children.

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According to this regulation, teachers assigned to teach Vietnamese to pre-first-grade children are prioritized if they have good qualifications and solid teaching skills, know ethnic languages, and understand the local and ethnic cultures of children. Therefore, understanding the local cultures is a priority but not a mandatory requirement for teachers teaching Vietnamese to pre-first-grade children.

Are teachers teaching Vietnamese to pre-first-grade children required to understand the local cultures? (Image from the Internet)

What are the requirements for pre-first-grade ethnic minority children and their teachers in Vietnam?

Under Article 15 of Circular 23/2023/TT-BGDDT, the requirements for pre-first-grade ethnic minority children and their teachers are as follows:

1. For teachers:

- Teachers shall grasp the contents and methods of Vietnamese teaching for children and second-language teaching methods for Vietnamese preparation for children.

- Teachers shall be capable of developing lesson plans following the guidelines of the Ministry of Education and Training of Vietnam, and provide educational methods and adjust teaching methods appropriate to children so that children feel confident, comfortable, and enjoy going to class.

- Teachers shall have skills in and methods of cooperating with the parents or guardians of children in nurturing and caring for children’s health and spirit when they are in class.

- Teachers shall be capable of developing a friendly learning environment to assist children in discovering and interacting with teachers and friends and using positive teaching methods to enhance children’s experience in learning and establish necessary learning skills.

2. For children:

- Regarding learning attitudes:

Children must always feel comfortable and happy when going to schools and learning and enjoy going to schools; be independent and self-service, such as being self-service during a meal (for semi-boarding children); being capable of personal hygiene; preparing clothes, books, and learning materials by themselves before going to schools.

Children must be confident and proactive in carrying out assigned tasks; be excited and proactively participating in activities of schools and classes; boldly communicate and appropriately behave with others.

- Regarding learning outcomes:

Children acquire basic learning skills, such as using learning supplies, working in pairs or groups, accepting and carrying out assigned tasks, and presenting the results to teachers and friends.

Children acquire and develop fundamental listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills; be able to hold conversations in Vietnamese and acquire behavioral skills in the new environment.

What are the responsibilities of teachers in cooperating with parents of pre-first-grade ethnic minority children in Vietnam?

According to Clause 2, Article 16 of Circular 23/2023/TT-BGDDT, the regulations are as follows:

Schools

1. The principal shall formulate plans for cooperation with families of children in:

a) Organizing meetings and introducing the school to parents or guardians of children while prescribing the responsibilities of families for preparing school supplies and clothes and ensuring conditions for children to go to school.

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2. Teachers shall formulate plans to carry out activities and cooperate with parents or guardians of children in:

a) Formulating a list of information of parents or guardians of children (full names, relations with children, phone numbers, addresses, etc.) for convenient contact.

b) Studying, observing, and detecting the characteristics of children, preparing appropriate schemes to arrange groups/classes, and suggesting support for children during preparation to enter first grade.

c) Formulating plans to visit families of children requiring extra support from their families in learning.

d) Exchanging with parents or guardians of children to understand family circumstances and unique characteristics of children.

e) Cooperating with parents or guardians of children in nurturing and ensuring children’s health when going to school.

Therefore, teachers have the responsibility to cooperate with parents by formulating a list of information of parents or guardians of children (full names, relations with children, phone numbers, addresses, etc.) for convenient contact as stated above.