VietNamNet Bridge – The comment “excellent” made by teachers can be understood by the parents that their children are given 10 marks for their school works. However, in most of the other cases, marks show clearer messages than comments.

The Ministry of Education and Training might consider pros and corns carefully before deciding that first graders will not receive marks, but only comments from teachers. The comments help them understand their capability and the problems they should try to settle.

Pham Xuan Tien, Head of the primary education division of the Hanoi Education and Training Department, said the bad marks students receive on the first days at schools would frighten students and keep them away from school.

Tran Thi Minh Chau, a teacher of the Khuong Thuong Primary School in Dong Da district in Hanoi, said previously, she collected students’ notebooks when the lessons finish and mark the school works at home. However, with the new mechanism, she can help correct the mistakes and give comments on students’ works right in the class, when students do the works.

“The new method helps ease my heavy workload, while I can keep a close watch over every my student,” she said.

Headmaster of the Xuan Dinh Primary School in Tu Liem district in Hanoi Nguyen Thi Bich Hang, said she always asks teachers not to give violent comments or give bad marks to encourage first graders.

Nevertheless, despite the great advantages, teachers and parents find it difficult to assess students’ capability if teachers don’t give marks.

Hue, an office worker, whose child goes to the Nam Trung Yen primary school in Cau Giay district said as she has not much time to take care about the child’s study, she would rather to see the teachers give marks.

“I just need to see the marks my child gets and I understand how capable he is,” she said.

“The comments which try to encourage students may lead to their misunderstanding that they are very good already and they need no further efforts,” Hue continued.

“The general comments like “you need to try more for better result,” or “acceptable” have not much meaning, while they do not point out what students need to do to improve themselves,” she maintained.

Unlike Minh Chau, Nguyen Thi Nga, a teacher of the Xuan Dinh primary school in Tu Liem district said the new method forces teachers to work harder.

“It’s very difficult to assess the ability of every student if we cannot give marks. In math, for example, teachers should point out all the mistakes students make, including the minor ones, instead of just giving general comments about the works,” Nga said.

Another teacher said the majority of parents said at the parents’ meeting have asked her to give marks to their parents, despite the request by the Ministry of Education and Training not to marks school works.

“They have every reason to pose such a proposal. Nothing can be clearer than marks, while comments may lead to different ways of understanding,” the teacher said.

“The Ministry of Education and Training fears that the students who receive bad marks would get afraid of going to school. Meanwhile, I believe that good students would feel disappointed if they don’t receive good marks for their good school works,” the teacher concluded.

Van Chung