Hanoi (VNA) – DeputyPrime Minister Vu Duc Dam further clarified pressing issues in the educationalsector during the question and answer session for Minister of Education andTraining Phung Xuan Nha on June 6.

The official’s clarificationfocused on pre-school universalisation and malpractices, particularly childabuse at kindergartens; 200,000 unemployed graduates; vocational guidance;training quality, especially at higher education; and basic, comprehensiveeducational reform.

He blamed violence atkindergartens on the low quality of teachers, citing only more than 60 percentof pre-school teachers holding college diplomas or higher.

“It is crucial to improve thetraining quality of pre-school teachers,” he said, adding that localauthorities should take responsibility for inspecting and licensingkindergartens and independent child care centres.

Pointing out the low coveragerate of pre-school education at 27.7 percent, Deputy PM Dam stressed the needto promptly develop qualified kindergartens and independent child care centres.

He called on localauthorities to join hands in the work, especially in the areas housing many industrialparks in order to ease worries and difficulties facing workers.

Regarding 200,000 graduateswho are jobless or unable to find suitable jobs, making up over 4 percent ofthe total number of graduates, the Deputy PM said the number is normal ascompared with the average of 7 percent in many countries worldwide.

To deal with the situation,the first job is to improve the quality of vocational guidance, he said, addingthat the work should be stepped up right at secondary schools.

At the same time, it isnecessary to raise the quality of higher education and promote the self-controlmodel, the official said.

Deputy PM highlightedVietnam’s efforts to reform tertiary education over the past three years,aiming to have at least one educational institution named among the world’s top1,000 schools in the next three years.

Talking about basic,comprehensive educational reform, he spoke of the reform of textbooks, teachingmethods, material facilities, and State management and administration ateducational institutions.

To reform the educationalsystem comprehensively, it is a must to overcome deep-rooted shortcomings suchas the overload of knowledge and discouragement of creativeness of teachers andstudents.-VNA