Program No. 33/2003/CT-BGDĐT On Strengthening Vocational Guidance Education for Secondary School Students

DIRECTIVE

Regarding Strengthening Vocational Guidance for Secondary School Students

the process of channeling students, preparing students to enter the labor market or continuing their education in accordance with their own capabilities and social needs.

However, vocational guidance at present has not been given due attention by educational management levels and schools. There are still localities and schools that have not fully implemented vocational guidance content; the quality of vocational guidance activities has not met the requirements of students and society, and secondary school students at the end of each grade and level have not been adequately prepared to choose suitable careers and majors according to their own abilities and social needs.

To improve the quality of vocational guidance for secondary school students, the Ministry of Education and Training requests the Departments of Education and Training, general secondary schools, technical and vocational centers, and agencies under the Ministry of Education and Training to implement the following requirements well:

1. On the basis of thoroughly understanding the basic viewpoints on education as set forth in the Resolution of the 9th National Party Congress, Resolution No. 40/2000/QH10 of the National Assembly, and Directive No. 14/2001/CT-TTg of the Prime Minister on the reform of the secondary education program, cadres and teachers need to further enhance their understanding of the significance, purpose, content, and measures for implementing vocational guidance for secondary school students.

Vocational guidance for secondary school students aims to cultivate and guide students to select appropriate professions from within the school environment, in line with economic and social development requirements while also being suitable for individual capabilities.

Vocational guidance for secondary school students has the task of educating attitudes towards work and a correct understanding of professions; acquainting students with some common professions in society and traditional professions in their locality; identifying the aptitudes and career inclinations of each student to encourage, guide, and foster the most suitable occupational abilities; encouraging students to engage in professions and places where there is a demand.

Vocational guidance for secondary school students is carried out through various forms: integrating vocational content into subjects, production labor, and general vocational training, vocational activity programs, and other extracurricular activities.

2. Emphasize the requirement of vocational guidance throughout the entire process of developing, perfecting curricula, compiling textbooks and teacher's manuals, and teaching subjects, organizing extracurricular activities for students at all levels from primary to secondary school.

3. Seriously implement vocational activity programs in middle schools, high schools, and technical and vocational centers according to the guidelines provided by the Ministry of Education and Training, helping students, especially graduating students, understand the world of professions, the labor market, and assess their own capabilities, guiding students to choose suitable professions or schools and majors according to their personal capabilities and social needs. To fulfill these requirements, the Departments of Education and Training need to organize training for teachers assigned to guide vocational education activities (vocational activity programs). Middle schools, high schools, and technical and vocational centers need to assign a leader responsible for vocational education and appoint capable teachers to organize vocational activity programs for students. The Educational Publishing House is responsible for organizing the compilation and distribution of sufficient vocational materials for use in schools.

4. Improve the quality and expand general vocational training to help students understand professions and become familiar with some occupational skills. The Departments of Education and Training allocate targets for general vocational training plans to schools, and based on teacher conditions and material facilities, allocate targets for general vocational training plans to technical and vocational centers and other institutions designated to provide general vocational training. The Departments of Education and Training only allow secondary schools with adequate teacher conditions and material facilities to organize general vocational training. Middle schools and high schools that organize two sessions per day must allocate time according to regulations for students to participate in general vocational training at technical and vocational centers or at their own schools. The Departments of Education and Training should pay attention to directing technical and vocational centers to open more new general vocational training options for students to choose from, avoiding focusing on a few professions, and at the same time plan inspections and strict examinations of general vocational training. Provinces with low rates of students participating in general vocational training should create conditions for more students to participate.

5. The Departments of Education and Training should strengthen the implementation of the Regulations on the organization and operation of technical and vocational centers, and develop plans to supplement the teaching staff and material facilities of existing centers to enable them to complete their vocational guidance and general vocational training tasks well and have the necessary conditions to implement general vocational education content in the new middle school and high school curricula.

The Department of Education and Training shall allocate local funds and national target programs to strengthen and develop comprehensive vocational-technical centers and career guidance centers, with particular attention given to establishing such centers in districts and counties where they do not yet exist, especially in areas with high student populations and rural areas. Mountainous counties may establish comprehensive vocational-technical and career guidance centers linked to county boarding schools for ethnic minorities. For provinces without comprehensive vocational-technical and career guidance centers, the Department of Education and Training shall propose to the Provincial People's Committees to establish these centers to actively contribute to the implementation of quality vocational education and career guidance.

Comprehensive vocational-technical and career guidance centers need to implement measures to innovate their forms and contents of activities to further enhance the quality of career guidance and general vocational training: integrating career guidance content into general vocational training sessions, offering more general vocational courses, organizing career counseling activities for students at comprehensive vocational-technical and career guidance centers or at general secondary schools.

6. Educational management levels must fully implement the Party and State's policy on socialization of education in directing the implementation of career guidance education. Schools and comprehensive vocational-technical and career guidance centers shall report and propose to the local party committees and authorities plans to encourage social organizations, businesses, and individuals with the capacity to support or directly participate in career guidance education for students.

To supervise, monitor, and timely direct the above tasks, competent agencies under the Ministry of Education and Training shall provide specific guidelines. Departments of Education and Training shall review and assess the situation of career guidance education in their localities during mid-term and year-end evaluations, compile reports, and submit them to the Ministry. Any difficulties encountered during implementation should be reported by relevant entities so that the Ministry can provide timely guidance./.