Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh chaired a virtual national conference on August 28 to take stock of the 2020-2021 school year and launch tasks for the time ahead.

The conference is held online with the participation of in provinces and cities from 65 connection points and other 400 points at higher education institutions. Photo: The Hanoi Times

As many localities at the conference reported the shortage of teachers, the prime minister asked the Ministry of Education and Training to set up inspection teams to assess the situation as soon as possible.

PM Chinh suggested that there is a shortfall of teachers at the kindergarten level, but teachers in primary and secondary schools are in excess. The provinces should retrain them on preschool teaching skills and send them to kindergartens.

“The principle is that where there are students, there must be teachers and schools. We have to restructure the system of classrooms and teachers to make it effective,” Chinh said.

At the conference, Chairman of the Hanoi People's Committee Chu Ngoc Anh said that each year, another 44 schools and more than 69,000 students are added to the city’s educational system. Currently, the number of students citywide is 21 million. Therefore, there remains a shortage of teachers.

Chairman of the Hanoi People's Committee Chu Ngoc Anh speaks at the conference. Photo: The Hanoi Times

Chairman Chu Ngoc Anh added that Hanoi is considering exempting pupils from pre-school to secondary school from the tuition fee. He asked the government to adopt a new decree on tuition fee exemption for Hanoi to carry out the scheme.

For his part, Minister of Education and Training Nguyen Kim Son asked for solutions to implement vaccination for students, primarily high school students.

Besides, the government is recommended to arranging the funding for the adaptation to the Covid-19 pandemic situation, which is still serious and may last long, Son said.

He added that promoting digital transformation in teaching and learning is important. In the near future, the ministry will enhance remote learning on television and build an electronic lessons database for high school students across the country as well as train teachers on online classroom management and teaching skills and invest in equipment.

Son also suggested the government consider tuition fee exemption and reduction for kindergarten and high school students in the 2021-2022 school year.

"Leaders of the Ministry of Education and Training, educational institutions, all teachers and students will strive to overcome difficulties to successfully complete the tasks of the 2021-2022 academic year," stressed the minister.