HÀ NỘI — Ministry of Education and Training officials and experts gathered on Wednesday to discuss a circular aimed at providing students and teachers with more support in dealing with the issues they face on a daily basis.

Speaking at the conference, deputy education minister Nguyễn Thị Nghĩa said Vietnamese students face many problems. Besides those of academic nature, they also have to deal with other issues including identity and relationships with their peers, teachers and families.

While there are measures in place to provide them with guidance such as counselling and club activities, they are often deemed not accessible to most students. Schools also struggle to find professionals to run this service due to limited resources.

“The circular is of great importance in our goal to implement a dedicated and professional counselling service to provide support for students, especially those who are troubled or in anormal circumstances,” said Nghĩa.

The service will help connect other social and child protection services and local authorities and provide training sessions for parents and professionals working in the field of education in coaching students.

The ultimate goal, said participants, is to create an environment that helps deliver excellent academic results and a safe, friendly environment to learn in.

Representatives from schools nationwide as well as education experts urged the ministry to work faster on the circular, which was designed to clearly define the role of counselling services in Vietnamese schools and how to implement it.  

As for schools’ limited resources, participants suggested that available teachers be trained to take charge of the task until a more dedicated version of the system can be implemented.

The Vietnamese school system traditionally relies on by-appointment parent-teacher meetings when students face difficulties at school and such meetings often serve as warnings rather than to find solutions to the issues. There have been greater calls for the introduction of a dedicated student service in recent years by students, parents and education experts alike. — VNS