Concerns about the deterrent effect of removing school suspension
The Ministry of Education and Training (MOET) is seeking opinions on the draft Circular on rewarding and disciplining students, to replace Circular 08 issued in 1988.
Circular 08 issued in 1988 stipulates disciplinary measures for students such as: reprimand in front of class, reprimand in front of the disciplinary council, warning in front of the whole school, suspending students for a week or a year.
Compared to the old regulations, the new draft tends to reduce the level of discipline. Specifically, according to Article 13 of the draft, students in junior high school, high school and continuing education centers are only subject to three forms of discipline: level 1 is a reminder; level 2 is criticism; level 3 is the requirement to write self-review.
This has led many teachers to express concerns about the deterrent effect and effectiveness of alternative measures.
Ms. Nguyen Mai Chi - a Literature teacher at a secondary school in Dong Anh district, Hanoi - shared: "Although the form of criticism, reminders or self-criticism is educational, for some students who have seriously violated, especially re-offenders, I feel it is not enough to deter them.
If the suspension regulation is completely abolished, it will be very difficult for the school to handle cases of student violations of a violent nature".
According to Ms. Chi, for serious acts such as fighting, causing insecurity to classmates or insulting teachers, stronger measures are needed. school suspension is not an ideal solution, but it is still a final deterrent to maintain classroom discipline.
Similarly, Ms. Nguyen Thi Han - a Math teacher at a secondary school in Vinh Phuc - also believes that removing the form of school suspension is completely urgent.
According to Ms. Han, the form of temporary suspension should still be retained, but the level should be adjusted accordingly.
"Not giving school days off is harsh or inhumane. But if I reduce it to writing a review or commitment, I am afraid it will not work at all. Many students forget to write once or twice, even taking it lightly because they do not see clear consequences.
Therefore, it is advisable to maintain the form of school suspension but shorten it to 2-3 days so that students have time to reflect without greatly affecting their studies" - Ms. Han said.
Ms. Han added that the school also needs to coordinate with parents to avoid turning school breaks into an unwanted "vacation".
education is to correct, but it must be serious. It is not expected that any student will be self-conscious. Therefore, the punishment is to make them aware of their responsibility for their actions. Being too gentle can make children disregard discipline" - Ms. Han emphasized.
Should distinguish 12th graders to be flexible in handling
Although supporting the maintenance of school suspension, Ms. Nguyen Mai Chi believes that each level of education has its own characteristics and students also have different levels of maturity. Therefore, the application of disciplinary measures also needs to be differentiated. She suggested that it could be flexibly applied at each level of education.
"I think we should keep the form of temporary suspension of study for students from junior high school to grade 11. This age group is still active and vulnerable, if there are not strict enough measures, it can affect the general educational environment.
But grade 12 is different - this is a special period. They are getting older and are under a lot of pressure to take the exam. If the students make a mistake that is not too serious, they should handle it flexibly so as not to affect the exam preparation process" - she said.
Ms. Chi believes that, for grade 12 students, instead of suspending their studies, the school can apply other forms such as temporarily suspending some extracurricular activities, requiring them to write an in-depth review, or doing reviewing for violations. These methods both help students realize their mistakes and do not interrupt the exam preparation process and prepare for the university exam.
Proposing to shorten the school suspension period to 2 - 3 days, Ms. Nguyen Thi Han said: "If 12th graders are suspended for a few days, they can still review at home, do exam papers, and discuss their notebooks online. The important thing is that they understand that they are responsible for their violations, not that they are on leave".
According to her, to ensure effectiveness, the school should coordinate with parents to supervise students during the suspension period, avoiding disciplinary action becoming a loophole in management.
"The fine is for education, not for elimination, and needs to be applied at the right time and to the right extent so that students have the opportunity to correct their mistakes" - Ms. Han expressed.
