Some measures for development of preschool teachers to meet the demands of preschool education today

JOURNAL OF SCIENCE OF HNUE DOI: 10.18173/2354-1075.2016-0222 Educational Sci., 2016, Vol. 61, No. 11, pp. 105-111 This paper is available online at SOME MEASURES FOR DEVELOPMENT OF PRESCHOOL TEACHERS TOMEET THE DEMANDS OF PRESCHOOL EDUCATION TODAY Cao Thi Hong Nhung, Ngo Thi Yen Department of Preschool Education, Ministry of Education and Training Abstract. Development of preschool teachers plays an important role in increasing the quality of care and education to children of preschool ages, meeting education development trends. Building preschool teachers towards reaching standards has been being an urgent issue today. This article makes analysis of current profile of preschool teachers, and proposes somemeasures for development of preschool teachers to meet the current demand for preschool education. Keywords: The quality of education, measures, and teacher development, teachers, preschool education. 1. Introduction Roles, duties of teachers prescribed at Article 15, Chapter 1, 2005 Education Law: “Teachers play a determining role in secure education quality” [7]. Therefore, development of preschool teachers is a long-term strategic requirement to implement successfully preschool education service. Increasing the quality of teachers in all respect in each preschool is to ensure training level, ethical qualities, and professional qualification to meet duties’ requirements. Development of preschool teachers to meeting the current demand of preschool education should be implemented fully in terms of quantity, quality and structure. The article gives a deep analysis of the development of preschool teachers, proposes measures for development of preschool teachers to meet requirements of current preschool education. 2. Content 2.1. Development of preschool teachers 2.1.1. Current profile of development of preschool teachers To develop preschool teachers, training attached to securing quantity and quality is set on the highest priorities. During recent years, the Ministry of Education and Training has paid interest in and guidance for some initial results in training of preschool teachers. In the Report on 10 years’ development preschool education, the Ministry of Education and Training emphasized: training of preschool teachers focused by locations; increased year target of training; colleges for teachers’ training assigned to collaborate with universities for teacher’s training to provide the foster training of local manager, preschool teachers to meet defined standards (i.e. In Yen Bai, Thai Nguyen, Received date: 10/10/2016. Published date: 12/12/2016. Contact: Cao Thi Hong Nhung, e-mail: cthnhung@moet.edu.vn 105 Cao Thi Hong Nhung, Ngo Thi Yen Bac Can, Bac Giang, Lam Dong, Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi. . . ) some locations organized career orientation to the secondary students towards attending facilities for preschool teachers’ training as a measure to prepare for future employment (Ho Chi Minh City, Lao Cai. . . ); paid attention to provide training of preschool teachers to people within minorities groups, opening training courses on ethnic languages to preschool teachers who take care of children from ethnic minorities, enrolling and giving preschool teacher training to earmarked students from Boarding School for Ethnic Minority Students, graduates from hamlets in economically difficult regions; preferred forms of training under contracts between locations and training facilities to district in highlands, communes of ethnic minorities (Quang Ninh, Tuyen Quang, Ha Giang, Lao Cai. . . ). Foster training, update of expertise, skills for child care and education to preschool teachers has been enhanced. The Ministry of Education and Training has issued documents providing for programme of frequent foster training of preschool teacher and Statue for regular foster training of teachers from preschool, primary and secondary schools and centers for continuing education. Organization of key workshops on profession qualification, regular foster training in direct and online forms; training on methodologies for organization educational activities; methods of teaching in combined classes; implementation of Preschool education programme in economically difficult regions; training on knowledge for disease prevention and food hygiene and safety. Preschool teachers working with children from ethnic minorities given training on methodologies for providing Vietnamese literacy to children for their preparation for the 1st grade; training on profession qualification for child care, fostering and education to teachers working with children in groups of children, private isolated class of preschool education. In addition to foster training programmes, the Ministry of Education & Training implemented the Project “Vietnam School Readiness Promotion Project”. Through this project 100% of managers, preschool teachers enabled to participate in professional foster training courses; manager and preschool teachers given rollout on 10 priority modules in frequent foster training programmes. Locations have diversified forms of training, i.e. summer foster training, topic-based foster training, seminars, workshops; the content of foster training meet the local demand on development of local education in each school year and the preschool teachers’ need for professional development, focusing on training on professional skills, making of creative toys, update of expertise and skills to preschool teachers to perform Preschool Education Programme, meeting the demand for renovation of activities in preschool education (Tuyen Quang, Quang Ninh, Lao Cai, Lam Dong, Gia Lai, Kontum. . . ). In terms of quantity, as of the school year of 2014-2015, there were 300,014 preschool teachers over the whole country (growth of 103,000 ones compared with the school year of 2010-2011, and growth of 145,963 ones compared with the school year of 2005-2006). The ratio of teacher per group/class is 1.7. It is 1.8 amongst teachers dedicated to preschool children aged 5. The quantity of manager with standard and higher qualification is 99.5%, with over standard qualification is 92.1%. In comparison with the targets of Scheme 149, in 2010 there were 89.2% of preschool teachers with standard education qualification, growth of 9.2% compared with the targets), and 97.7% in 2015 (2.9% lower than the targets). For 2010, the percentage of preschool teachers with over standard training qualification was 30.9% (22.9% higher than the targets) in 2010 and 59.8% (4.8% higher than the targets) in 2015. The recruitment of preschool teachers is actively implemented by locations, quantity of preschool teachers as member of the personnel increase quickly. For recent years, especially since 2010 the quantity of preschool teachers recruited to the personnel increases quickly (preschool teachers as members of the personnel take 46% in 2010; 65.5% in 2015; total grand of recruited preschool teachers is about 100,000 for the last 5 years). Preschool teachers who started working before 1995 and had not enough conditions for benefiting retirement have been given part of social 106 Some measures for development of preschool teachers to meet the demands... insurance premiums under forms of voluntary social insurance participation pursuant to Decision 45/2011/QD-TTg by the Prime Minister of Government. Provinces/cities pay special attention to implement benefits to preschool teachers according to the Decision 60/2011/QD-TTg by the Prime Minister of the Government, helping to improve the life standards to staff and teachers of preschools. Some provinces support preschool teachers by using local State fund to pay for their addition working hours: i.e. in Binh Duong, Dong Nai, Ba Ria – Vung Tau. . . The recruitment and securing of benefits on salary, social insurance, health insurance to preschool teachers has contributed to improve living standards, making them be happy, dedicated themselves to the career. The evaluation of preschool teachers and manager according to profession standards regulations has been strictly implemented, contributing to increase the quality of preschool teachers. * Limitations - The lack of preschool teachers has not been addressed. The ratio of teacher per class is very low, especially in some mountainous provinces in the North, the Highland, Northern Central (Son La, Gia Lai. . . ). Locations have not implemented the Decree 06/2015/TTLT jointly by Ministry of Education and Training, the Ministries of Finance, the Ministry of Internal Affairs; it is quite difficult to have enough preschool teachers to meet demands on child care and education in the context of personnel simplification, therefor affecting the quality of child care and education; - The quality of manager and preschool teachers for performing Preschool education programme has not met the requirements, especially in mountainous regions, and locations where ethnic minorities live. Some of preschool teachers have insufficient professional skills. Especially, there are more and more child violence, causing to irate public opinions. - There are some limitations in professional competencies of preschool teachers as graduates, therefore it requires re-training of these teachers to meet the demands for renovation in Preschool education Programme. 2.1.2. Causes to limitations The gaps and weaknesses of human resources development are originated from following causes: First, the awareness of all levels, services in preschool education has not been adequate, causing to lack of interest in planning of school and class networks, in setting priorities for personnel placement – allocation of financial resources and land to preschool education. Some locations have not been active enough in arrangement, mobilization, prioritizing of resources to implementation of compulsory preschool education. Actions for implementation of development policies of non-State preschools have not been good enough, causing to the lack of preschools and classes, over-ratio of children per class, especially in large cities, industrial zones, apartment zones; insufficiency of proactive actions in planning and training preschool teachers, no solutions to the lack of preschool teachers; not good implementation of compensation policies to teachers. Second, there have not been resources to support teachers’ training colleges/universities and re-training of preschool teachers in meeting the requirements on renovation according to Preschool education Programme; there are still limitations in required skills for organization of child care and education according to the requirements on implementation of Preschool Education Programme amongst some preschool teachers. Third, the gaps amongst preschool teachers have resulted from inadequate implementation of regular fester training of preschool teachers, and from the limitations in self-study for expertise update by preschool teachers. It may be seen just the foster training of teacher before each school year have not good results in terms of both reasoning theories and skills for change of education methodologies. This is why the teacher proves to be confusing and some non-minor number of 107 Cao Thi Hong Nhung, Ngo Thi Yen teachers has not met requirements on renovation. Fourth, working pressure to teachers, overload-ratio of teacher per class, inadequate conditions of material facilities and playing toys cause negative affect the quality of child care and education. 2.2. Some measures for development of preschool teachers to meet the current demand for preschool education 2.2.1. Renovation of planning and effective guidance for implementation of planning in development of preschool teachers - Purposes, meaning of this measure: Renovation of planning and effective guidance for implementation of planning in development of preschool teachers contribute to improve the effectiveness of preschool teacher training, meeting the educational demands. Particularly, they are: To manage well the development of preschool teachers according to defined planning; making impacts on structure of preschool teachers will motivate preschool education in general and preschool teacher in particular to develop in synergy. To develop preschool teachers in terms of quantity to secure the development of preschool education in particular locations, facilities in meeting the size classes of preschools, school children, preschool educational activities, conditions for child care for 2 sessions per day, ratio of teacher per groups or classes according to regulations. To secure sufficient quantity of teachers is perquisite for securing the quality of child care and education. Planning of the structure of preschool teachers is present in terms of age ranges, educational qualification, expertise, and especially ethnic composition. Structuring of preschool teachers attaches to the needs and conditions for development of preschools, e.g. building of a National Standard Preschool, development of size of preschools and classes. . . - Content of the measure To place preschool teachers of different educational qualifications (standard and over standard) so they can support, interact and help each other in professional activities, and together complete their tasks. For preschools in locations where ethnic minorities live, there should be a distribution of reasonable rate between preschool teacher of Kinh group and those of ethnic minorities to prepare training of Viet Language to children of ethnic minorities in particular, and to well perform child care and education in general, as well as emotional state of children before moving up to the 1st grade. All levels of government secure the guidance for implementation of general and particularized policies and regulations in economically difficult provinces (Highlands, Northern mountainous provinces, Mekong Delta), to secure the structure of preschool teachers in preschools. Therein, communes in difficult and –especially-difficult circumstances, regions where ethnic minorities live have to be given priorities in placement of sufficient teachers for implementation of preschool education. In addition, provinces should have policies and regulations to enable provincial teacher training colleges to addressed-based training (training under contract between training facilities and locations) of students from ethnic minorities to be preschool teachers for service of preschool education in their home land after graduation. Planning for development of preschool teachers is an integral part of planning of preschool education in particular and planning of socio-economic development of locations in general. Therefore, planning is required to be align with strategies for education and training and planning of socio-economic development in locations, and align with the planning of other local related 108 Some measures for development of preschool teachers to meet the demands... services; as well as align with the size, structure, population distribution in location, considering the current profile of what to be put in planning, drawing a road map for development and specifying urgent issues, focal points requiring investment and their priority order; enhancing the relationship with other services, sectors. - Methods for implementation of measure Planning for development of local preschool education and preschool teachers, is a part of planning of education and training in respective locations, serving as a conceptual foundations on development forecast, time-and-space suitable placement of this system in locations. To build a road map for annual increment of preschool teachers quantity To provide additional preschool teachers from several sources such as in collaboration with local teacher training colleges build need-based training plan, which is based on targets assigned by the respective province, or orders by locations, and therefore actively proposing Provincial People’s Committees for inter-training especially for earmarked training, training of candidate preschool teachers from ethnic minorities. To build long-term (up to 5 years) development plan of preschool teachers Principals of preschools is to perform projections for the development of preschool size (raising the grade of preschool, building a National Standard Preschool) to determine the quantity of teacher for the school. - Conditions for implementation Facilities for preschool teachers training should build training plans considering realistic needs, securing adequate quantity and quality; Annually, locations set up plans for complementing, mobilizing, appointing and rotating staff; referring to preschools’ action plans to determine specified quantity of preschools for implementation of preschools’ missions under Preschool Education Programme; To build plans for development of human resources, while exploring exiting human resources from existing preschool; also paying interesting and creating favorable conditions in both spiritual and material terms to help preschool teacher to stabilize their work, and to limit their career stop or resignation. To rearrange preschool teachers, securing the balance, appropriateness, synergy in structures and being suitable to specific profile of each preschool. 2.2.2. Renovation of recruitment, utilization of preschool teachers - Purposes & Meaning of the measure To focus on selecting and developing human resources to meet requirements on both quantity and quality. To complement human resources for preschool teachers to existing preschool teachers, meeting profession standards of preschool teachers. - Content of the measure To make good recruitment and utilization based on the planning for development of preschool teachers, work to draw preschool teachers, secure benefits of preschool teachers with a view to stability and sustainable in development of preschool teachers. Selection of preschool teacher candidates should be based on the specific needs of each facility, according to each school year and approved norms of personnel. Selection and utilization of preschool teachers will have to attach to provincial general planning, preschool’s strategic plans, considering the quality of preschool teachers especially initial basic educational qualification that need to be standard (middle ranking facility for preschool teacher training) or more, experience and skilled preschool teachers should be preferred. 109 Cao Thi Hong Nhung, Ngo Thi Yen - Methods for implementation of measure Utilization and assignment of teachers should focus on promotion of competencies and talents of individual preschool teachers; especially paying attention to placement of preschool teachers with good competencies to works according to requirements and contents of Preschool Education programme. In utilization of human resources, it is necessary to adjust policies suitably, e.g. compensation policies to preschool teachers who work in remote areas or where there are a lot of ethnic minorities, Compliment and Reward regulations. . . to motivate preschool teachers to constantly strive, enrich profession competencies and ethic qualities to best meet requirements, criteria of preschool teacher profession standards. - Conditions for implementation of measure Preschool will have plans for complementing, appointing, balancing the number of preschool teachers for required tasks in alignment with requirements on quantity, and additional determine demands for development size of the preschool; To have in place criteria of selection, utilization of preschool teachers for different positions, standardizing of preschool teachers by assigning them for training, creating condition for preschool teachers who have desire for