The Ministry of Education and Training is seeking public feedback until 27/5 on a draft circular for a pedagogical training program. This program is designed for individuals aspiring to become teachers.

Under the proposed regulations, students who have completed 70% of their bachelor's program credits, typically in their third year of university, would be eligible to enroll in pedagogical certification courses. A key requirement is that their academic major must align with the subject they intend to teach.

Currently, students from non-education majors can only pursue pedagogical certification after graduating, which adds at least one year before they qualify for teacher recruitment exams. The ministry anticipates this expedited process will alleviate teacher shortages, particularly in subjects such as music, fine arts, and informatics, while also enhancing the flexibility of the teacher training system.

The draft also proposes a reduction in required pedagogical training credits from 35 for primary education and 34 for junior and senior high school to 32 credits. This total would comprise 12 compulsory general knowledge credits and 20 credits for specialized knowledge and pedagogical internship (16 compulsory, four optional).

The proposed minimum training duration is 10 months, a detail not specified in current regulations.

Regarding curriculum content, current regulations emphasize fundamental pedagogical knowledge and skills. The new draft, however, suggests a shift from a content-based to a competency-based approach. Notably, it introduces new topics such as applying digital technology in teaching, online instruction, and utilizing artificial intelligence.

Teachers at Bui Van Moi Primary School, Ho Chi Minh City, 9/2025. Photo: Quynh Tran

As of mid-2025, Vietnam had nearly 1,3 million teachers nationwide, facing a shortage of approximately 120,000. This deficit is primarily in preschool education and certain specialized subjects within general education.

Thanh Hang