Applying educational television to support online learning

Online learning is the main method while education television is an important supplementary method, especially in places where online learning is not available.

Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam spoke at the meeting. (Photo: VGP).
Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam spoke at the meeting. (Photo: VGP).

This is the content agreed upon at the meeting on solutions to promote teaching and learning in the context of the complicated developments of the Covid-19 epidemic, chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam in Hanoi on September 8, with the participation of leaders of the Ministry of Education and Training, the Vietnam Association for Promoting Education, and representatives of television stations and central television channels.

According to a quick survey by the Ministry of Education and Training, the organisation of teaching in the first days of the new 2021-2022 school year faces many difficulties, especially for localities that are implementing social distancing. In many places, online teaching is not effective due to the limited capacity of the internet connection system, poor quality free teaching software, and a lack of learning equipment for many students.

Preliminary statistics in Ho Chi Minh City show a lack of 77,000 computers for online learning; many provinces with difficult areas have between 50% and 70% of students lacking online learning equipment; many villages do not have internet. Online learning for primary school students, especially for first and second graders, is more difficult because they are still young and have not had the conditions to get accustomed to this learning method.

The participants agreed that in the current epidemic conditions, besides the online teaching method, it is necessary to pay attention to teaching via television. In order to cover all grades and subjects, it is necessary to have many channels broadcast lessons according to time frames.

Representatives of the Voice of Vietnam (VOV), Vietnam Television (VTV), Vietnam News Agency's TV channel (VNews) and Nhan Dan (People) Television said that the Ministry of Education and Training must assume the prime responsibility for assigning each channel to broadcast teaching blocks on each television channel.

Some comments have suggested adding different methods to bring teaching content to students such as USB, radio waves, and other digital platforms. The ultimate goal is to bring lessons to students with the best quality, anywhere, anytime.

Minister of Education and Training Nguyen Kim Son said that the Ministry has issued documents guiding the new school year, including the organisation of teaching via the internet and educational television, supplementing lectures and learning materials for online learning and learning via television.

Particularly for first and second graders, they will still conduct online learning or learning via television in the immediate future, but they will not be assessed until they can return to school.

In places where there is no epidemic, face-to-face teaching is the best choice; and it is necessary to ensure safe teaching and further promote educational innovation, including digital transformation. For localities that cannot organise face-to-face learning, it is necessary to apply both online teaching and teaching via television.

Appreciating the efforts of the Ministry of Education and Training in preparing for the new school year, Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam stated that, in the context of the complicated development of the Covid-19 epidemic, the education sector must continue to innovate curricula and textbooks. Ensuring the quality of education is a very important requirement, especially for students at the beginning levels and primary level.

In organising teaching and learning, the Deputy Prime Minister emphasised that learning materials must ensure quality. The Ministry of Education and Training should launch and call on organisations to provide online teaching services, choosing the best learning materials, and urgently compile online learning materials for 2nd and 6th graders according to new curriculum and textbooks.