Many parents in Hai Phong City have expressed anger after local schools announced that only primary pupils with good grades could go to school while a teaching competition was being carried out.

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According to the parents, pupils at Le Hong Phong Primary School and Chu Van An Primary School were given a leave of absence to stay home for days as a competition for outstanding teachers was being held at those schools.

"On January 8, I received a message from Le Hong Phong Primary School saying that the Department of Education and Training was holding a competition for outstanding teachers from January 9 to 11. Selected pupils went to school on those days and the remainder should stay at home," said a parent in Ngo Quyen District. "What's the point to compete with just well-behaved and good pupils?"

His son, who is in third grade, stayed at home because he is too active and restless despite having good academic ability. 15 out of 40 pupils in his class have to stay home for three days.

Many parents have voiced their concerns about the obsession with superficial achievements in the education sector.

Nguyen Xuan Truong, director of Hai Phong Department of Education and Training said the competition was held once every four years. Truong reasoned that only a handful of pupils were needed for the competition and the lesson plans the teachers prepared might go wrong otherwise.

The Ministry of Education and Training has ordered to investigate the case. The ministry has asked relevant agencies to gather teachers' opinions and review the competitions for pupils at teachers alike in order to revise out-of-date regulations including the Circular 21 issued in 2010 about teaching competitions in compulsory education and continuing education. The ministry also aims to cut down paperwork for teachers.

During a work trip in Yen Bai Province, Minister of Education Phung Xuan Nha said, "Teaching competitions are putting huge pressure on the teachers. Many competitions were deemed for show and have been shut down by the ministry in the past years. We'll continue to review other competitions in the future."

Dtinews