[Vnbiz] Education Reform

[Tran Dinh Hoanh]

Dear CACC,

Below is a VNExpress report on the meeting by the heads of provincial
Departments of Education and Training on August 22.  Generally, it is about
the disease of going after rewards and medals in throughout the education
establishment.

It is good the people are talking about this.  But from management
standpoint, I see nothing that is encouraging.  When you have a problem, of
course you talk about that problem.  That is the first step toward fixing
the problem.  However, we have to understand the different between outward
symptoms and the root cause.  When a doctor hear about your symptoms of
headache, dizziness, rashes on your body and exhaustion, he doesn't
immediately give you aspirins for headache, some ointment for your rashes,
some other medicine for your dizziness and a bunch of vitamins for your
exhaustion.  He has to spend time to analyze the symptoms to figure out what
the root cause is.  Then he tries to fix the root cause.

This education problem has never been diagnosed properly.  In every article,
every meeting, the folks simply talk about the symptoms and some immediate
"solutions" to deal with the symptoms.

The term "root cause" is not even mentioned anywhere ever.

What is the root cause?  That is what all the meetings, all the discussions,
all the planning should focus on at this stage.

Have a great day!

Hoanh
__________

    Thứ ba, 22/8/2006, 19:45 GMT+7

Ngành giáo dục báo cáo dối trá về chất lượng giáo dục
   Bội thực học sinh giỏi tại nhiều trường tiểu học. Ảnh:* P.V.*

Ngày 22/8, lãnh đạo các Sở GD&ĐT trên toàn quốc đã họp bàn mổ xẻ căn bệnh
thành tích và những bất cập trong công tác thi đua khen thưởng. Theo Bộ
GD&ĐT, biểu hiện rõ nhất của bệnh thành tích trong giáo dục là báo cáo không
trung thực với Đảng và nhà nước về chất lượng thật của giáo dục.

Với quan điểm nhìn thẳng vào sự thật, Bộ GD&ĐT đã thừa nhận, tình trạng chạy
đua thành tích, làm sai lệch các giá thực chất của danh hiệu thi đưa ngày
càng gia tăng. Một số cán bộ giáo dục đã suy thoái đạo đức, biến chất, bị ma
lực của đồng tiền dẫn đến bán rẻ lương tâm nhà giáo.

"Chúng tôi mắc bệnh thành tích có phần từ Bộ"

"Có nhiều kỳ thi tưởng là nghiêm túc nhưng chính ra đã được thỏa hiệp và mọi
người đang nói dối lẫn nhau. Nhiều khi công tác đánh giá thi đua khen thưởng
không được nghiêm túc và thiếu dân chủ", ông Lương Tất Thùy, Phó chủ tịch
Công đoàn giáo dục Việt Nam phát biểu.

Ông Thuỳ cho rằng, tuy số lượng giáo viên vi phạm đạo đức nghề nghiệp không
nhiều, nhưng đã làm xấu đi hình ảnh đội ngũ giáo viên. Căn bệnh trầm kha của
ngành đã được bắt mạch và rất cần những thang thuốc hữu hiệu để chấn chỉnh
ngay, không cho nó di căn khắp cơ thể.

Với giọng gay gắt, ông Lê Xuân Đồng, Giám đốc Sở GD&ĐT Thanh Hóa thẳng thắn:
"Chúng tôi mắc bệnh thành tích là có phần của Bộ. Chỉ tiêu phấn đấu, thi đua
do Bộ đưa ra, và để đạt được những chỉ tiêu đó, chúng tôi phải mắc bệnh
thành tích", ông Đồng bức xúc.

Người đứng đầu ngành giáo dục Thanh Hóa cho rằng, trong năm học này không
thể trị khỏi bệnh ngay bởi vẫn còn những tác nhân, cản trở lớn.

Theo ông Lê Văn Ngoan, Giám đốc Sở GD&ĐT Long An, nguồn vật chất cụ thể mà
danh hiệu thi đua mang lại cho tập thể và cá nhân giáo viên không đáng kể.
Đơn cử, phần thưởng kèm theo danh hiệu tập thể tiên tiến xuất sắc của tỉnh
hiện là 500.000 đồng, nếu chia theo "đầu" giáo viên thì không bao nhiêu. Tuy
nhiên, không ít giáo viên cam phận hành động để có thành tích ảo.

Ông Ngoan cho rằng, thi đua không xuất phát từ người hưởng ứng mà áp đặt từ
trên xuống. Còn giáo viên, những người hưởng ứng, bản chất không gian dối
song không dám phản ứng, muốn được nhìn nhận, khẳng định và cuối cùng là
muốn thể hiện mình, dẫn đến tạo thành tích không thực chất.

"Muốn phát huy mặt tốt của thi đua, giảm thành tích ảo thì những tỷ lệ, chỉ
tiêu học sinh, các môn, lớp, trường học đưa ra phải do tập thể nhà trường
bàn bạc, đề xuất lên lên các cấp địa phương và ngành cấp trên, chứ không
phải những cấp này đưa xuống", ông Ngoan nói.

Xem xét bỏ danh hiệu giáo viên dạy giỏi toàn quốc

Ông Nguyễn Văn Bé, Phó giám đốc Sở GD&ĐT Bến Tre, cho rằng, các tiêu chí và
phương pháp để công nhận giáo viên dạy giỏi đang rất rối. "Theo tôi, nên bỏ
giáo viên dạy giỏi toàn quốc, duy trì giáo viên dạy giỏi cấp trường là được.
Không khéo giáo viên dạy giỏi ngày càng nhiều nhưng chất lượng không hẳn đã
tương ứng", ông Bé nói.

Ông Bé cũng nhìn nhận, thành tích thực chất là cần thiết cho việc phát triển
giáo dục. Bộ cần xem xét để đồng thời với việc phát động cuộc vận động "Nói
không với tiêu cực trong thi cử và bệnh thành tích trong học đường", phải có
giải pháp đề cao hơn trách nhiệm và lương tâm nghề nghiệp của đội ngũ giáo
viên.

Theo ông Nguyễn Anh Ninh, Phó giám đốc Sở GD&ĐT Lào Cai, tại một số xã vùng
cao, trên 50% học sinh học quá tuổi. Nếu cứ tuần tự để các em học mỗi năm 1
lớp, 4 năm tốt nghiệp THCS thì lúc đó các em bước vào độ tuổi lao động chính
trong gia đình. Bởi vậy, trên thực tế, nhiều học sinh không thể học hết 4
năm.

"Để phổ cập giáo dục, buộc phải rút ngắn chương trình học của các em xuống
còn 2 năm. Điều này khiến cho chất lượng giáo dục chưa đạt được những yêu
cầu ngành đề ra. Tuy nhiên, điều này vẫn tốt hơn là để các em quay lại con
đường thất học", ông Ninh nói.

Theo ông Ninh, tiêu chí nhà giáo ưu tú, nhà giáo nhân dân chỉ phong tặng cho
người dạy. Nhưng ở vùng cao, tiêu chí 10 năm trực tiếp giảng dạy là không
phù hợp. "Một giáo viên vùng cao, sau 5-7 năm dạy học thường được lên làm
lãnh đạo và đã làm lãnh đạo thì không còn giảng dạy. Sau khoảng thời gian đó
mà không được lên làm lãnh đạo thì chắc là dạy quá tồi", ông Ninh bức xúc.

Bộ trưởng Giáo dục Đào tạo Nguyễn Thiện Nhân khẳng định, việc đổi mới công
tác thi đua là đưa ra các chỉ tiêu thực tế hơn do các cơ sở đề xuất lên. Đó
là cơ sở để Bộ hoạch định kế hoạch phù hợp với các vùng, miền.

Theo ông Nhân, sản phẩm giáo dục tốt hay dở không phải đo được ngay mà có
thể sau vài ba năm và lâu hơn nữa. Bộ sẽ xem xét để có biện pháp chế tài
hiệu quả trong việc tiến hành cuộc vận động "Nói không với tiêu cực thi cử
và bệnh thành tích trong giáo dục". Tuần tới, đại diện Bộ GD&ĐT và 6 ban,
ngành liên quan sẽ ký kết phối hợp thực hiện cuộc vận động. Hằng năm, Bộ sẽ
báo cáo kết quả lên Thủ tướng và việc báo cáo này làm tới 2010.

*Một số vấn đề được các Sở GD& ĐT đưa ra thảo luận*:

- Các chỉ tiêu % học sinh đạt loại khá, giỏi, trung bình, yếu cho các môn
học, cho lớp, cho trường, không nên áp đặt từ cấp trên mà là do tự đề xuất
của các lớp, các trường; trên cơ sở có sự đánh giá trình độ học sinh đầu năm
học và sự thảo luận thống nhất giữa các thầy cô, học sinh của các lớp.

- Bỏ tiêu chí học sinh lưu ban, số học sinh huy động ra lớp do cấo trên đưa
xuống. Các chỉ tiêu này là kết quả thảo luận và thống nhất phấn đấu từ ý
kiến của học sinh, giáo viên, phụ huynh và địa phương.

- Không khống chế tỷ lệ phần trăm đạt danh hiệu lao động tiên tiến, chiến sĩ
thi đua ở một tập thể ( vấn đề là đúng chuẩn, thuyết phục đối với học sinh
và đồng nghiệp).

*Tiến Dũng - Lương Nga*



On 8/13/06, Tran Dinh Hoanh <tdhoanh at gmail.com> wrote:
>
>  Dear Dennis & CACC,
>
>
>
> Thank you for the good response, Dennis.  Good to hear from you, brother.
>
>
>
> Since you talk about US education, let me share with you my
> experience about US education.  About 20 some years ago, I spent a lot of
> time helping Vietnamese newcomers in the US .   I helped them learn
> English (for a while I taught ESL in a local college), get into school, find
> jobs etc.  For many young adults (18 to 30), my number-one goal was to
> encourage them to have a college degree.
>
>
>
> Imagine, I had in my hand a 25-year-old man with a 10th grade education in
> Vietnam , and no English.  The conversation usually went like this:
>
>
>
> "I think you should go to college."
> "Teacher, you're kidding.  Me?  Are you crazy?"
> "I'm serious."
> "No way.  College is not for me.  I'm old, no education, no English."
>
> "I'm not kidding.  Do you want to go to college?"
>
> "Of course, who wouldn't like a college degree?  But I can't dream about
> it.  Not for me."
>
> "Do you trust me?"
>
> "Yes."
>
> "If you want to go to college, I guarantee that you will have a bachelor
> degree if you just listen and do what I show you to do.  Can you do that?"
>
> "Yes."
>
>
>
> Generally I get a book on GED (General education diploma) the equivalent
> of high school diploma.  I teach them to go through that book, each day a
> bit (with a dictionary on their hand and a bit of explanation from me every
> day).  Even if you have only 5th grade education, with some help you can
> master the book in several months.  Then you go to take the GED test.  Most
> of the time you will pass it, even if your score may be low.
>
>
>
> Then you go to a local community college and take a "placement test."
> Placement test is the kind of test to know where you math is, your English
> is, etc...  Whatever score you have, the school will have a class for you.
> Even if your score is too low, the school will admit you and place you in
> the low class (which doesn't count toward college credit).    Generally, the
> school will always be able to place you in an academic track, at exactly the
> level you are, then help you move up gradually.
>
>
>
> After you finish a two-year community college you can ask to be
> transferred to a four-year college to finish your bachelor degree.
>
>
>
> None of my students have ever failed in that road.  My brother came to the
> US when he was 19 or so with a 10 grade education.  But he was under
> average student even in Vietnam .  The first time I mentioned the work
> "college" I could see fear in his eyes.  He had always thought that
> college was out of his hand anywhere in the world.  In addition, being my
> brother, he seemed to think that everything was a piece of cake for me and
> very difficult for everyone else, so when I said "easy" he would think it
> was not really easy at all.   So I had two strikes against me.  I told
> him: "I know exactly where you are.  I know that there is little left of
> school in your head now.   But trust me.  I guarantee that you won't have
> to learn anything harder than you can learn and you will have a bachelor
> degree."   Five years later he graduated with an engineering degree from a
> reputable private university.
>
>
>
> Several years ago I talked to a PhD who used to chan bo (shepherding the
> cows) in Lai Thieu.  I think Tuoi Tre had an article about him.   He had
> no educational all, other than some primary school in Vietnam.  He spent
> time watching the cows for his family, until he got to the US and got a PhD
> in Physics or mathematics (I forgot) some years later.   He told me: "If I
> were still in Vietnam, I would have been on the backs of cows still.   It
> is impossible for me to grow this way in Vietnam.
>
>
>
> For people like us, the principle is simple: In the US, anyone can have
> any degree at any level if he wants to.   And that is the kind of
> opportunity we want our kids to have in Vietnam.
>
>
>
> Many students do not go to college and don't finish college education in
> the US , because they don't want school and want to make money earlier.  This
> economy has that opportunity.  Bill Gates is a good example of college
> dropout.   My daughter, vice president of a bank and making money several
> times the kind of money I have ever made, never went to college.   Many
> people here don't care about college, because they like other kinds of
> opportunities better.
>
>
> The key is OPPORTUNITY. Give the kids the opportunity and let them decide
> whether they want to take it or not.    In Vietnam, 60 percent of high
> school graduates have no opportunities to gain college education.  We need
> to provide opportunity for all (Let me repeat: OPPORTUNITY FOR ALL), if we
> want to stick with our idealism of equality and justice.
>
> More than 60 percent of kids have lost their opportunities for college
> education, that is not acceptable.   It is injustice as a matter of
> morality and stupidity as a matter of national management.
>
>
>
> **   Now let me talk about the quality of education, the state monopoly
> and stranglehold on the education, and private education.
>
>
> Dennis, you mention one thing I have heard in Vietnam for about a million
> times already.   And, sorry to be frank, that is a lot of BS.  In the old
> days, the political theory was that private firms simply exploit and cheat
> people for their own benefits.  So the State owned and managed everything
> and ran everything to the ground, and the country was in a severe state of
> poverty.  So we wised up and opened up the private economy.
>
> But that same argument of private abuse is still being used for all these
> years until now to allow the State to manipulate the education system, to
> have the most immoral and incompetent group of people managing our kids'
> minds.
>
>
>
> Sorry, as far as the VCP is concerned, we are not talking about education,
> we are talking about politics.  They want no one to be able to teach the
> kids.  They want to play with the kids' mind the way they think beneficial
> for their power base.  If we cannot do anything, the least we can do is to
> be honest to ourselves.  (And I want someone to come out and tell me that
> I am wrong on this point).
>
>
>
> Tell me how much lower our education can go down.  Can any private system
> be worse than the state-monopoly system we have now?
>
>
>
> Let me talk about competition and private entities.  Of course, there are
> many restaurants where the food is bad and waiters and waitresses curse you
> as they throw your plates on to your table, as we have talked about on this
> forum lately.   That is the nature of free economy.  Along the bad ones,
> there are many good and outstanding restaurants that in the "subsidy time"
> we never had.  That is the nature of free enterprise and competition.
>
>
>
> Same thing with education.  Some private schools may care about money than
> quality.   But many private schools will compete fiercely to draw in
> students by quality.  In the end, there will be higher quality in general
> due to competition. The principle of "quality from competition" is so clear.
>   Why are we still asking?
>
>
>
> The US does have some very bad colleges.   But guess who are going where
> to learn business management.  Where do the Chinese, the Japanese and
> students from other countries go for, say, MBA?   Answer:  The US is the
> number-one destination in the world.
>
>
>
> Competition will bring QUALITY and OPPORTUNITY for the students.   The
> state can help quality improve by (1) fostering competition among
> universities, not by smothering competition, and (2) providing some quality
> guidelines by "certification" (so that students may know which school is
> "state certified" which one is not, so that they can make their education
> choice).
>
>
>
> How hard that is to do that?  But all logic will become useless, until the
> VCP realize that the future of our children is the goal of education, not
> the VCP's exclusive right to play with their mind.
>
>
>
> Tell me that I am wrong.   Please, someone!  I do want some serious people
> to tell me that I am wrong.   I hope seriously that I am wrong.  I hope
> that someone can convince me that the VCP does sincerely care for our
> children.   I want to hear good things.  Because I am so sick and so
> depressed by the bad news I have to hear every day.  The truth is, if I
> don't pray like crazy every day to cool me down, I would have exploded like
> a bomb already.
>
>
> BTW, Dennis, I have talked about these educations issues non-stop for 15
> years.  Millions and millions students have lost their opportunities to
> grow during that 15 years (Let me repeat:  We are talking about MILLIONS of
> youths already), and whatever meager achievement you can cite from
> statistics, Dennis, does NOT impress me.   It is this kind of achievement:
> "Look, although my strangling hands are still around your neck, you can see
> that today I let you breathe a little easier than yesterday.   We do have
> some improvement, don't we?"
>
> Do we know what Stockholm Syndrome is?
>
>
> My God, a fever is burning me!
>
>
>
> Have a great day, Dennis and all.
>
>
>
> Hoanh
>
>
> On 8/13/06, Dennis' Yahoo <dberg at fullerton.edu> wrote:
> >
> >
> > [Vietnam Business Forum]
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >  Hi Hoanh....
> >
> > Actually, 40% admission seems like a good increase from just five or ten
> > years ago; I'll have to check the numbers.  I do remember in the early
> > 90's we talked about 1 in 10 high school graduates being admitted to a
> > college or university.
> >
> > On the one hand we want them to strengthen their current institutions;
> > on the other we suggest they increase the number of seats and Universities.
> > We have to be real about our expectations. There are successful models of
> > private institutions in Vietnam; e.g. RMIT. There are however many
> > private institutions that are nothing more than for profit diploma mills. I
> > believe MOET is trying its best to keep a handle on things. Private
> > institutions depend on raising money through student fees and that, for a
> > good university with good faculty, usually puts the opportunity out of the
> > reach of many students; thus the failure of so many attempts at joint degree
> > programs with foreign institutions.
> >
> > Allow me to remind you about some data from the U.S.
> >
> >  Only 70% of all students in public high schools graduate, and only 32%
> > of all students leave high school qualified to attend four-year colleges.
> > Only 51% of all black students and 52% of all Hispanic students
> > graduate, and only 20% of all black students and 16% of all Hispanic
> > students leave high school college-ready.
> > The graduation rate for white students was 72%; for Asian students, 79%;
> > and for American Indian students, 54%. T
> > The college readiness rate for white students was 37%; for Asian
> > students, 38%; for American Indian students, 14%.
> >
> > This data is taken From: Public High School Graduation and College
> > Readiness Rates in the United States
> >
> > *Jay P. Greene, Ph.D.*<http://www.manhattan-institute.org/html/ewp_03.htm#greene> ,
> > *Senior Fellow, Manhattan Institute for Policy Research
> > **Greg Forster, Ph.D.*<http://www.manhattan-institute.org/html/ewp_03.htm#forster>,
> > *Senior Research Associate, Manhattan Institute for Policy Research*
> >
> > *Funding for this report was provided by the Bill & Melinda Gates
> > Foundation*
> > **********************************************
> >
> > And then, according to the U.S. Department of Education:
> >
> >    - More than half of students entering college are required to take
> >    remedial courses, many in several subjects.
> >    - About half of first-year students at community colleges do not
> >    continue on for a second year.
> >    - About a quarter of first-year students at four-year colleges do
> >    not stay for their second year.
> >    - More than 40 percent of college students who earn more than ten
> >    credits never complete a two-year or a four-year degree.
> >
> > I think if we were to compare our systems adjusted to our GDP with the
> > systems of Vietnam adjusted for their GDP, those systems that we all so
> > dearly want to see improve would gain a bit more respect. Give me just a
> > little of the money we spent on Shock and Awe and we could make one heck of
> > a difference in the University system of VN.
> >
> > Dennis F. Berg, Professor and Chair
> > Dept. of Sociology, CSU, Fullerton
> > *******************************************
> > "Thou shalt not answer questionnaires
> > Or quizzes upon World-Affairs,
> > Nor with compliance take any test.
> > Thou shalt not sit with statisticians
> >  nor commit a social science."
> > Under Which Lyre: A Reactionary Tract for the Times
> > By W. H. Auden
> >
> >
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > *From:* Tran Dinh Hoanh <tdhoanh at gmail.com>
> > *To:* vnbiz at vietlinks.net
> > *Sent:* Saturday, August 12, 2006 9:38 PM
> > *Subject:* Re: [Vnbiz] Education Reform
> >
> >
> >
> > [Vietnam Business Forum]
> >
> >
> >
> >  ------------------------------
> >
> >  Dear CACC,
> >
> > According to this article 60 percent of students who took the university
> > entrance exams have not made it.  It means 60% of candidates won't have an
> > opportunity for university education.
> >
> > In today's global economy, the bachelor degree is generally the lowest
> > degree in the market place.  Other than a few exceptional cases, it is very
> > difficult to find any decent job in today's economy without a university
> > degree.
> >
> > This means, more than 60 percent of of our nation's highschool graduates
> > will not have an opportunity to participate in the global economy
> > meaningfully. That means, our labor force is not going to be very
> > competitive in the global economy.  That means, we have a great chance to
> > lose the competitive battle against other nations.
> >
> > Instead of opening more colleges and schools very quickly to bring more
> > opportunity to the kids and to help everyone to be effectively competitive
> > in the global economy, the government has for years held on the monopoly on
> > the education system, and strangled it with all kinds of political controls,
> > including political ideology and Party mechanism.   Private universities can
> > hardly develop.  Religious organizations are banned from opening schools
> > (other than a couple of schools teaching religious matters), even though the
> > best universities around the world are mostly run by religious
> > organizations.
> >
> > Every time I talked to ANY friend INSIDE Vietnam about opening a
> > university, the first response I got ALWAYS was: "Forget it.  Not worth it.
> > They will control everything.  They will force you to follow hundreds of
> > stupid things.  You won't be able to run your school effectively.  You will
> > go crazy.  Not worth it."
> >
> > You now, cutting off the opportunity of a youth to develop in life is a
> > crime.  And that is not just a crime against the youth, it is the crime
> > against the nation.  Our youth is our nation's future.  If our youth has few
> > opportunities today, our nation will have few opportunities in the world
> > tomorrow.   We all shall die, but our children and grand children will bear
> > the punishment from our own stupidity after we have gone.
> >
> > Have a great day!
> >
> > Hoanh
> >
> >
> >
>
>
>   --
> > Tran Dinh Hoanh, LLB, JD
> > Attorney of Law
> > Washington DC
> >
>


-- 
Tran Dinh Hoanh, LLB, JD
Attorney of Law
Washington DC
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