Inviting artists and experts to participate in educational activities: Concerns about funding

TP - Inviting experts, artisans, artists, coaches, and athletes to participate in educational activities in general schools is to ensure the educational requirements are harmonious between the national and elite, comprehensive and specialized, national and global; developing education on the basis of culture and traditional values ​​of the nation. The implementation is in need of specific guidance for public schools, especially regarding funding.

Singer Ha Myo participated in the experience with students at the "What I Want to Say" Forum 2025 in Nghe An organized by Tien Phong newspaper. Photo: Trong Tai

Experts and artists are invited to give lectures

The Ministry of Education and Training has just sent an official dispatch to the Departments of Education and Training, universities, colleges, and research institutes with high schools to guide the implementation of inviting experts, artists, coaches, athletes (hereinafter referred to as experts and artists) to participate in educational activities in high schools. For subjects and educational activities that are required to be taught in the first session (official classes), schools can invite experts and artists to participate in teaching according to the lessons or topics to ensure the educational plan and meet the requirements according to regulations.

For enrichment activities, experiences, art clubs, sports, life skills, cultural exchanges... organized in the second session, the school can invite experts and artists to participate in educational activities according to the school's approved educational plan.

Regarding the criteria for inviting experts and artists, the Ministry of Education and Training clearly states that they must have good qualities, achievements, and prestige; have the ability to communicate, experience, and pedagogical skills appropriate to the age of students. The prestige of experts and artists... is guaranteed by having achieved titles conferred by the State or having won awards at the ministerial, provincial level or higher or by professional associations; having contributions recognized by professionals and the public; having a diploma or certificate of coaching issued by a competent authority or having achievements in coaching athletes to win awards in high-performance sports tournaments; having practical experience in coaching and training; having achieved the level of level 1 athlete or higher or winning medals and awards in high-performance sports tournaments.

Regarding finance, use the state budget according to approved estimates, and at the same time mobilize and use legal socialized resources.

Director of the Department of Education and Training of Ho Chi Minh City Nguyen Van Hieu said: The Department of Education and Training signed a joint agreement with the Department of Culture and Sports of Ho Chi Minh City to use cultural institutions and facilities of the culture and sports sector to serve the teaching and learning of educational establishments in the city, aiming at comprehensive education of students and the goal of each student in the city knowing how to play at least 1 sport and 1 art/musical instrument, implemented from this school year.

The school takes care of the funding.

Ms. Doan Thu Ha, Principal of Sentia Inter-level School (Hanoi) shared that the school implements personalized teaching. At high school level, students who choose Fine Arts and Music often have the orientation to go deeper into these art majors in a professional way such as painters and musicians. Therefore, for example, with Fine Arts, the school has invited painters to be guest teachers for students in advanced classes. With Music, every November, the school has a festival of the first wind of the season. Students perform art, parents attend. This is a music night with invited artists to choreograph and arrange vocal and choral music.

Ms. Ha affirmed that the class invited artists to teach or the first wind festival did not incur any additional costs for parents because the tuition fees were announced at the beginning of the course. The number of students participating in the advanced art class was not large, the number of teaching hours was not much, so it was within the school's budget. The first wind festival took part of the school's budget, most of which was supported by parents. The support here was to take advantage of the relationships of parents or even parents working in the art field would participate in supporting. Parents could invite choreographers to stage performances for their children's class.

From the perspective of public schools, a leader of a secondary school in Hanoi is concerned about the funding issue. Because the criteria for inviting expert artists have been clearly defined by the Ministry of Education and Training. In the document, the Ministry of Education and Training only requires the use of the state budget according to the approved estimate, and at the same time mobilizes and uses legal socialized resources. The Department of Education and Training proactively advises the People's Committees of provinces and cities on preferential policies for invited experts, artisans, artists, etc. in accordance with the practical situation of the locality and the provisions of the law. Thus, schools that want to implement must wait for instructions from the Department of Education and Training.

However, the most important thing is the consensus of parents. For public schools, the needs of parents are very different. Some parents want their children to focus on studying culture to pass exams; some parents want their children to develop comprehensively. When implementing the idea of ​​bringing experts and artists into public schools to participate in the second session (the session implementing educational activities outside the main curriculum), school leaders must have careful calculations, survey the actual needs as well as the plan to implement socialized education. If it is not implemented, not only will it not receive support but it will even lead to many consequences. Moreover, this implementation is only suitable for each specific stage. For example, for final year students (grades 9 and 12) preparing for the transfer exam and university entrance exam, priority should be given to cultivating cultural subjects instead of experiential activities.

Source: https://tienphong.vn/moi-nghe-si-chuyen-gia-tham-gia-hoat-dong-giao-duc-ban-khoan-van-de-kinh-phi-post1778785.tpo