An IT class of third-grade students in Thôn Mòn Primary and Secondary School. — VNA/VNS Photo Hữu Quyết

SƠN LA — With English and information technology a requirement from Grade 3 in the new general education curriculum, many schools in remote areas are struggling to find teachers.

In the school year 2022-23, Bàn Văn Đàn, the only English teacher in Mường Tè Primary and Secondary School in Vân Hồ District, constantly moves back and forth between four campuses for his classes.

Each location is five to 10 kilometres away from the other, which puts more burden on the teacher.

The temporary solution for Đàn is to change the class schedule to a group and teach at one or two campuses in the morning or afternoon.

The school also has no official teacher for information technology (IT) subject, said Principal Nguyễn Văn Tuyển.

All IT classes are now being taught by maths and physics teachers, and even culture teachers for the primary school.

These educators were only able to follow a short-term course on the subject or self-study.

Many other schools in the province are facing the same situation.

Sông Mã District is lacking 24 teachers for each subject of English and IT. Meanwhile, eight schools in the district have no teachers for both subjects.

In Thuận Châu District’s Thôn Mòn Primary and Secondary School, there is only one computer room for more than 30 classes.

The room is located in the secondary school, which is two kilometres away from the primary school campus.

Vũ Ngọc Hoàn, the school’s IT teacher said that it is difficult for young children to move from one campus to another for the subject. The facility’s 20 computers are also not enough for all students to study.

The four-campus Mường Tè Primary and Secondary School also has only one computer room. Without access to computers, students at other locations can only learn the theory and cannot practice.

Phạm Thanh Hải, Head of Education and Training Division in Vân Hồ District said that few schools are equipped with a computer room.

There are plans to increase this number in the future, but they only apply to main campuses due to financial and facility limitations.

Vương Thị Hồng, principal of Thôn Mòn Primary and Secondary School said that having to be in charge of multiple classes, teachers now don’t have time to design and invest in their lesson plans.

She said that as a long-term solution, a sufficient number of teachers is required to ensure educators’ health and lesson quality.

In a question and answer session at the 6th meeting of the 15th-tenure Sơn La People’s Council, Head of the province’s Department of Education and Training Nguyễn Huy Hoàng said that the locality still needs 124 more teachers for English and 35 for IT.

Meanwhile, according to the Politburo's Conclusion No 28-KL/TW dated February 21, 2022 on streamlining the Government agencies in the 2022-26 period, Sơn La has to lay down ten per cent of the public employees whose salary is paid from the State budget, equivalent to 2,700 staff in the local education sector.

The sector has proposed to adjust the quota for teachers to respond to the needs of schools and students.

Districts and towns are also directed to allocate a budget for teaching equipment according to the 2018 general education curriculum, as well as overtime pay and contracts for teachers. — VNS