VietNamNet Bridge – Viet Nam planned to experiment with a new teaching model for primary schools in rural areas that is more flexible, creative and strengthens community links, it was announced at a seminar yesterday, Oct 11.

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The Escuela Nueva (EN) method, first developed in Columbia by Vicky Colbert in the 1980s, was introduced to teachers of 15 provinces by the Ministry of Education and Training.

The model placed children at the centre of the system and reshaped the roles of teachers, administrators, learners and the community, officials said.

The EN methodology was initially created to improve the level of education offered in neglected rural schools and is now being adapted for urban schools, post-primary grades and displaced, migrant populations in Colombia.

Dang Tu An, director of MoET’s Department of Primary Education and manager of the Primary Education for Disadvantaged Children Project, said the EN methodology offered a curricula more suited to children’s daily life as well as a flexible learning schedule.

It solidified the relationship between schools and the community, and encouraged teachers to be more creative and active, he said.

A new textbook that combines three current textbooks would be developed for the purpose. The book would help students find ways to learn things by themselves, An added.

Le Tien Thanh, head of the Primary Education Department under the MOET, said primary education in the country had a strong academic focus, leading to passive students who are not too keen on learning.

Moreover, parents and the community at large had not been directly involved in their children’s learning, especially in rural and mountain areas.

An said the ministry had chosen six pilot provinces to implement the EN methodology – Ha Giang, Lao Cai, Hoa Binh, Kon Tum, Dak Lak and Khanh Hoa.

The current content of first grade textbooks would be adapted to make a new one that would guide teachers to teach according to the EN method.

Escuela Nueva changes the role of teacher from a supplier of information to a facilitator of learning.

It makes education a participatory, co-operative and interactive process by making children work in groups.

It has a flexible promotion system that allows students to advance at their own pace. It adapts its curriculum to make subjects relevant to the daily lives and contexts of students.

If the method proved successful, it could be carried out in large cities later, An said.

This effort was in line with many projects and programmes Viet Nam had been implementing to improve the quality of primary education, he said.

However, Dr Phung Khac Binh, a specialist with the Secondary Education Development Project, said he was worried about the new method’s suitability for Vietnamese conditions.

Vietnamese parents wanted their children to learn in the same classroom with other kids their age, but this system allowed students to proceed at their own pace, he said.

Moreover, to apply the new method effectively, teachers needed to have the management capacity to deal with many disciplines.

And poorly-educated parents in rural, disadvantaged areas might not be able to give the guidance that their children need, he noted.

VietNamNet/Viet Nam News