Shortage of specialised teachers causing concern for high schools

A shortage of music and art teachers means that Việt Đức High School, Hà Nội will not be able to teach these subjects as part of the regular curriculum next year. Photo courtesy of Trường THPT Việt Đức

HÀ NỘI — A shortage of teachers in specialised subjects is causing concern for high schools that are preparing to implement a long-approved new curriculum for 10th-graders in the next academic year. 

Although the new curriculum has been approved for five years, the preparation of qualified teachers does not meet demand and a shortage of teachers still persists in most localities.

According to the Ministry of Education and Training’s forecast, high schools will need more than 5,300 art teachers by 2025. 

Nguyễn Bội Quỳnh, principal of Việt Đức High School, a leading public high school in Hà Nội, said that the school has not been able to recruit enough music and art teachers for the upcoming school year. 

The school will instead try to acquire facilities and equipment for the music classrooms this year while delaying the teaching of art and music programmes until 2023-24.

Hà Xuân Nhâm, principal of Phan Huy Chú High School, Hà Nội, said that due to a shortage of art and music teachers, the school will not organise arts subjects as part of the regular curriculum in the upcoming school year.

However, the school will promote art clubs for students to help them show and nurture their talents.

Some localities are trying to implement music and art subjects with options to bring arts teachers from lower schools to teach in high schools.

However, Nguyễn Phú Cường, principal of Thái Phiên High School, Hải Phòng, said that even though the transfer of teachers was satisfactory in terms of qualifications, arranging schedules for these teachers across different schools is an obstacle.

Director of the HCM City Department of Education and Training, Nguyễn Văn Hiếu, said that high schools require two lessons per week for arts subjects, but most schools do not have a source of teachers.

The HCM City People’s Committee has proposed the Ministry of Education and Training allow those with bachelor’s degrees in relevant subjects, such as computer science, music, art, and foreign languages (Korean, Japanese, Chinese, French), to teach under contract in high schools.

At a recent meeting with HCM City University of Pedagogy, the Minister of Education and Training, Nguyễn Kim Sơn said the renovation of the university’s training programme will match the high school’s new curriculum.

He said the university needs to strengthen the training of arts teachers to serve the implementation of the new general education programme. – VnExpress News