Hanoi (VNA) - The Ministry of Education and Training plans to allow schools atall levels to recruit teachers on the basis of their specific requirements,instead of recruiting based on targets set by the education sector.

The announcement was made by Minister Phung Xuan Nha at a recent meeting withrelevant agencies in Hanoi, chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Vuong Dinh Hue, tochange managerial mechanisms and re-arrange the schooling system in thecountry.

Nha also said the ministry would pilot the issuance of fixed-term labourcontracts for teachers, rather than keeping permanent staff as present.

According to Nha, issuing fixed-term labour contracts would create morecompetition among talented teachers.

It is also believed that this would lay the foundations for the socialisationof education - meaning that people would be encouraged to help develop theeducation system, he said.

There would be no distinction between public and private schools, only thequality of education and teaching standards would be used in the assessment ofschools, he added.

“The aim of all of this is to improve the quality of the nation’s educationsystem,” he said, adding “It is actually not in order to cut permanent staff orsave money.”

Also at the meeting, Nha said the ministry would reform the country’suniversity system. Currently, universities are scattered in different areas.Thus, the education ministry would gradually set up clusters of universities,classified under the major of training. Of course, the re-arrangement would beundertaken in a flexible manner, depending on the current infrastructure ofeach locality.

The Ministry of Construction has finished a set of criteria to be adhered tobefore setting up these clusters, he added.

Nguyen Huu Do, head of Hanoi’s Education and Training Department saidrecruiting teachers following the demands of schools would help improve thequality of education.

However, the proposal has caused concern for some teachers.

Ly Thi My Linh, a teacher at Quang Trung secondary school in the centralprovince of Quang Nam said “Teachers often wish to become permanent staff.”

“This pretty much guarantees you a secure job with social benefits and meansyou have less chance of being fired,” she said.

Le Nhat Tien, a primary school teacher from the southern province of KienGiang, said recruiting teachers following the demand of schools might be a goodsolution while the number of teachers in the country was constantly increasing,regardless of the Government’s downsizing policy.

However, he worried about the policy of permanent staff being removed becausenow, although the Government salary for teachers was not enough to cover dailyexpenses, teachers still have allowances.

If the policy of permanent staff is removed, it means that the allowances will alsodisappear. The burden of earning a living will be exhausting for teachers, and theyhave less time to devote to their students, he said.

Le Huyen Trang, a primary teacher from Hanoi’s Soc Son district said theproposal is good as it will foster more competition between teachers.

“But who will ensure that negative issues are limited, like taking and givingbribes to become a permanent employee,” she said.

Deputy Prime Minister Vuong Dinh Hue said the project is important in thereformation of education and training.

He ordered the ministry to review and set up clusters of schools in areas thathave good transport links. Hue said “This is a unique opportunity for thenational education sector to change and develop.”-VNA