Minister of Education and Training addresses educational issues

Minister of Education and Training Nguyen Thien Nhan

National Assembly (NA) Chairman Nguyen Phu Trong praised Minister of Education and Training Nguyen Thien Nhan for coming straight to the point when responding to NA’s education-related questions such as examination regulations, quality of secondary and higher education and financial management of the education sector.

By the morning of March 30, the NA received 41 questions raised by 22 NA deputies relating to the responsibility of six State leaders.

In the first Q&A session, Minister of Education and Training Nguyen Thien Nhan answered 16 questions from NA deputies.

Regarding the question about the application of multiple-choice test in 2007 by deputy Hoang Thanh Phu from northern Thai Nguyen province, Mr Nhan said the strong point of multiple-choice test is to ensure objectivity and fairness. To conduct this year’s examination properly, the Ministry of Education and Training (MoET) organised a trial test for 850,000 students to make them have a better understanding of how to do it properly.

Deputy Nguyen Ngoc Tran questioned Minister Nguyen Thien Nhan on three issues: education budget, teaching quality of universities and colleges, and challenges and opportunities for the education sector after Vietnam joined the World Trade Organisation (WTO).

Minister Nhan said the MoET currently manages around 30 percent of the universities in the country. The ministry’s direct education budget and training accounts for just 5 percent of the country’s spending on education.

In 2007, the total spending on training in all ministries costs VND10,796 billion, one-third of which is managed by the MoET (around VND3,788 billion). Therefore, the MoET is unable to evaluate the effective use of the education budget allocated for the ministries.

Deputy Dieu Dieu from southern Binh Phuoc province asked about measures to reduce the percentage of weak pupils in remote and far-flung areas. Minister Nhan said that most weak pupils are from ethnic minority groups. Surveys showed that though ethnic minority pupils have finished their fifth grade, they are still unable to read or write Vietnamese well.

Earlier the same day, NA deputies listened to four ministries answering questions concerning the handling of voters’ complaints and denunciations.

The implementation of the Anti-Corruption Law and the Law on Thrift Practice and Wastefulness Prevention remains a hot topic of discussion among NA deputies.

After the NA adopted the Anti-Corruption Law and the Law on Thrift Practice and Wastefulness Prevention, the Prime Minister issued guiding documents on how to enforce these two laws. Most NA deputies agreed that the two laws have made the public better aware of anti corruption, thrift practice and wastefulness prevention in the ministries, sectors and localities. However, they said that the implementation of anti-corruption, thrift practice and wastefulness prevention has exposed certain shortcomings that need to be overcome soon.

Source: VOV