Minister of Education: Integrated subjects can be adjusted

The Minister of Education said that integrated teaching is a sticking point and difficulty when implementing the new program, and will likely be adjusted.

At a meeting with Minister of Education and Training Nguyen Kim Son on August 15, many high school teachers shared their opinions on teaching integrated subjects in the 2018 general education program.

According to the new program, secondary school students no longer study Biology, Physics, Chemistry, History, and Geography as before. Instead, they study two Natural Sciences , History and Geography. These two subjects are called integrated, interdisciplinary subjects.

Ms. Hoang Hai Van, Vo Thi Sau Secondary School, Khanh Hoa, said that the integration of Natural Sciences and Social Sciences is still inadequate when teachers are trained to teach each subject. Currently, many schools across the country apply the method of "teachers of each subject teach that subject". This makes integrated subjects not help students develop comprehensively as the set goal.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Thieu Hoa, a teacher at Dang Thai Mai Secondary School, Nghe An , also has a similar opinion. According to her, teachers who teach single subjects are trained to be able to teach integrated subjects but are not confident and not effective.

Minister of Education and Training Nguyen Kim Son responded to teachers' proposals on the morning of August 15. Photo: MOET — Minister of Education and Training Nguyen Kim Son responded to teachers' proposals on the morning of August 15. Photo: *MOET*

Minister of Education and Training Nguyen Kim Son admitted that teaching integrated and interdisciplinary subjects is one of the most difficult things when implementing the new general education program, a "stuck point, bottleneck, and difficulty".

According to Mr. Son, in reality, there are teachers who are qualified to teach the components of integrated subjects, but most of them still teach them in separate components, and the textbooks are also separate. In difficult areas, even though they have been trained, teaching these subjects is still a big challenge for teachers.

"It is highly likely that in the near future, the Ministry will make adjustments to the teaching of integrated subjects at secondary school level," said Mr. Son.

The Ministry will consult with experts for careful consideration. Any adjustments, if any, will be considered so as not to affect past preparations, not to cause disruption, to facilitate and to be consistent with the requirements of educational innovation.

Previously, at the working session of the National Assembly's Supervisory Delegation on July 27, Mr. Son said that there will be two ways to teach integrated subjects in the near future. One is to return to the old way of single subjects. The other is to persist in innovation, calculating a roadmap until the old teachers are fully trained and will complete. He said that this must be considered a professional issue and needs to be implemented, not setting requirements on time or which month this issue must be completed.

Also related to the implementation of the new general education program, many teachers are interested in the high school graduation exam plan in 2025, when the first batch of students following this program complete three years of high school.

The Ministry of Education and Training's leaders said the exam plan will be announced in the fourth quarter of this year, in a way that will not surprise or shock parents and students.

Duong Tam - Thanh Hang

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