Humanitarian policy, promoting the improvement of education quality

This humane policy is expected to move towards a qualityeducation , meeting the requirements of comprehensive development and ensuring fairness in access to education for all students.

The organization of free 2-session teaching/day will be implemented depending on the conditions of each locality. Illustrative photo

In the announcement of the conclusion of General Secretary To Lam at the working session with the Government and central ministries and branches on the implementation of the Central Resolutions on education and training; preparation of the Politburo Resolution on educational breakthroughs and training and some policies to support teaching and learning, the General Secretary agreed on the policy that primary and secondary schools teach two sessions per day depending on the conditions of each locality in terms of facilities, finance and teachers.

According to the General Secretary , this policy needs to have a step-by-step implementation roadmap, in which it is necessary to combine the main investment of the State and encourage socialization. Teaching 2 sessions/day ensures no fees and reduces pressure on students, enhances teaching about culture and arts, ensuring comprehensive development for students.

The General Secretary assigned the Government to direct the Ministry of Education and Training, ministries, branches and localities to fully prepare conditions in terms of facilities, teachers, teaching programs and educational activities so that primary and secondary schools can teach two sessions per day. Implementation time is from the 2025-2026 school year.

In addition, the General Secretary also agreed on the policy of the State supporting lunch for primary and secondary school students in border communes, with priority given to mountainous border communes. The implementation of this policy needs to follow a roadmap. In the immediate future, this will be implemented in land border communes, starting from the 2025-2026 school year. Based on the implementation results, it will be summarized to gradually expand nationwide.

Many opinions say that, after the decision to exempt tuition fees for high school students, the direction of General Secretary To Lam on supporting lunch for students in border communes, on organizing free teaching 2 sessions/day depending on the conditions of each locality is a very humane decision, showing the deep concern of the Party and State for families, especially those with difficult economic conditions; concern for improving the quality of comprehensive education.

The policy of supporting lunch for students in border communes, if well implemented in mountainous, remote and isolated areas, will help increase the rate of students attending class and reduce the number of students dropping out of school due to economic difficulties. From there, it will narrow the gap in learning opportunities and educational quality between regions; ensure fairness in access to education, and prevent students from being disadvantaged just because they come from difficult circumstances.

Organizing 2 free sessions/day in places with sufficient conditions will also contribute to improving the quality of education; increasing the time students spend interacting with teachers and friends in a controlled educational environment to develop comprehensively, not only knowledge but also soft skills; in line with the humanistic spirit of Circular 29, reducing the pressure of extra classes, contributing to saving extra study costs for families, while students are still managed by the school to study, avoiding participating in classes that do not ensure quality.

Sharing with CAND Newspaper reporters about this issue, Dr. Hoang Ngoc Vinh, former Director of the Department of Vocational Education, Ministry of Education and Training, said that to organize well the teaching activities of 2 sessions/day, 3 factors must be met: Facilities with full classrooms, playgrounds, practice grounds serving physical education activities and teaching other skills; having enough teachers; having a teaching program and organizing enough activities in 2 sessions, suitable for the psychology and physiology of students' ages.

However, the physical facilities in schools in many localities across the country are currently uneven, many places still face difficulties and do not have enough classrooms for two sessions per day. In addition, many localities still have a shortage of teachers, especially in subjects such as Music, Fine Arts, Physical Education, Foreign Languages, and Information Technology. Therefore, to implement this policy from the 2025-2026 school year, first of all, it is necessary to conduct a nationwide review to see if the above minimum conditions have been met or not? If not, it is necessary to mobilize maximum resources from the State and socialization to urgently supplement and complete.

Second, in addition to the above three factors, it is also necessary to build a financial mechanism to be able to properly resolve arising problems, such as schools lacking teachers, especially for the subjects of Arts, Foreign Languages, and Information Technology, which must be mobilized from other places. How should the school get funding to pay? What is the compensation mechanism for teachers when they have to teach 2 sessions/day? This is an important issue that the Government, the Ministry of Education and Training and localities need to raise, and need to be calculated in advance to advise the Party and State leaders appropriately before implementing in practice.

Dr. Nguyen Tung Lam, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Dinh Tien Hoang High School (Hanoi) also said that teaching 2 sessions/day not only improves the quality of learning but also helps students access culture, art, and physical training for comprehensive development. However, to do this, it is necessary to ensure adequate conditions for schools, teachers, and curriculum, and especially requires coordination from many ministries, sectors, and localities, and the joint efforts of the whole society because the education sector alone cannot do it.

According to Dr. Nguyen Tung Lam, currently, many schools still lack classrooms, playgrounds, functional rooms, and gifted teachers. Therefore, to implement 2-session teaching per day, investment must be synchronous, it is impossible to "increase class hours" without raising conditions. Along with that, when switching to 2-session teaching per day without charging fees, it is also necessary to ensure teachers' rights in terms of income and benefits when the workload increases.

Source: https://cand.com.vn/giao-duc/chu-truong-nhan-van-thuc-day-nang-cao-chat-luong-giao-duc-i767847/