Upcoming: Hundreds of Thousands of Teachers Will Have to Attend Training to Meet New Qualification Standards

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To be specific:, according to Education Law 2019, from July 1, 2020, the minimum qualification requirements for teachers at different educational levels are raised as follows:

- For preschool teachers: Must have at least an associate degree in preschool education. (Currently, only a high school diploma in preschool education is required).

- For primary, lower secondary, and upper secondary school teachers: Must have at least a bachelor's degree in the relevant teaching field. (Currently, only a high school diploma in teaching is required for primary school teachers; an associate degree in teaching or a certificate in professional teaching training is required for lower secondary teachers).

In cases where there are no teachers with a bachelor's degree in the relevant teaching field for a subject, teachers must have a bachelor's degree in a suitable specialization and a certificate in professional teaching training.

It can be seen that, with this regulation, in the near future, the entire secondary education teaching system will have a minimum standard of a bachelor's degree; preschool teachers will have a minimum standard of an associate degree.

The process of upgrading the qualifications of preschool, primary, and lower secondary school teachers will be implemented according to a specific schedule. It is expected that by April 2020, there will be a Decree specifying the schedule for implementing the qualification upgrade according to the provisions of the Education Law 2019.

The Ministry will direct the cessation of enrollment in teaching programs for primary school teachers at the intermediate and associate degree levels as soon as the Education Law 2019 is passed and comes into effect. No new enrollments for primary school teachers with an intermediate or associate degree in teaching will be made, and additional training will be organized in an interconnected manner so that graduating students will have a bachelor's degree in primary education.

For teachers with an intermediate or associate degree in teaching or those who have not yet reached the university level and still have 1 to 5 years left of service, the Ministry will direct localities to coordinate with educational institutions to design regular training courses to enhance teaching capabilities to meet new requirements. For teachers who have more than 5 years of service left and have not yet reached the university level, the Ministry will direct pedagogical universities to closely cooperate with localities to develop schedules and training plans linked with new textbook training programs - Mr. Hoang Duc Minh, Director of the Department of Teachers and Educational Managers, stated.

Note, for primary and lower secondary school teachers currently teaching in educational institutions with an associate degree and the title "practice bachelor" on their degree, they will still need to upgrade to a bachelor's degree to meet the standards.

“There are currently about 1.3 million teachers, but the number that needs to be retrained to meet the standards for preschool, primary, and lower secondary education is about 400,000-500,000,” Mr. Hoang added.

Thus, it can be seen that in the near future, hundreds of thousands of teachers including preschool, primary, and lower secondary school teachers will need to undergo further education to meet the required standards.

However, currently under-qualified teachers should not worry too much, as the Government of Vietnam will provide a schedule and specific solutions to implement this elevation in standards appropriately, avoiding sudden changes. Additionally, according to the Education Law 2019, teachers who are sent for advanced studies, professional and skill training will receive salary and allowances as per the regulations of the Government of Vietnam. Educational institutions have the responsibility to facilitate training and professional development for teachers to meet standards.

Nguyen Trinh

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