Step by step preparation to teach 2 sessions/day for free

The General Secretary agreed on the policy of primary and secondary schools teaching two sessions per day, depending on local conditions in terms of facilities, finance and teachers. This policy needs to have a step-by-step implementation roadmap, in which the state is the main investor and encourages socialization.

Schools are not allowed to charge for teaching two sessions per day, while at the same time increasing the teaching of culture and arts; reducing pressure, ensuring comprehensive development of students. The General Secretary assigned the Government to direct the Ministry of Education and Training (MOET) together with relevant ministries, branches and localities to fully prepare conditions in terms of facilities, teachers, program content, activities... so that primary and secondary schools can teach two sessions per day, improving the quality of education from the 2025-2026 school year.

The country currently has 23.2 million general education students. Of which, primary school has about 8.9 million students, secondary school has about 6.5 million students. In Hanoi, the rate of secondary school students studying 2 sessions/day is low for many reasons. In Ba Dinh district, only 55% of students of 13 secondary schools study 2 sessions/day, this rate in Hai Ba Trung district is about 50%, while Cau Giay district only organizes 2 sessions/day for students of grades 6 and 7 of 7/11 secondary schools in the area.

Explaining why it is not possible to implement 2-session teaching/day at secondary school level as desired, the heads of the Department of Education and Training of some inner-city districts of Hanoi said that the most important reason is limited facilities and classrooms. Meanwhile, the shortage of teachers in some subjects to teach 2 sessions/day has not been resolved. To date, there are still no specific instructions on the 2nd session teaching program in the context of implementing the 2018 general education program.

Another reason is financial issues. According to the previous resolution of the Hanoi People's Council, the tuition fee for supporting the second session for secondary school students is 235,000 VND/student/month. When implementing teaching 2 sessions/day without collecting fees, this fee will no longer be collected, so there needs to be a solution to compensate for the costs to remove difficulties for schools.

The principal of a secondary school in Hanoi said that the school has been doing quite well with teaching two sessions a day. The school is allowed to collect money and organize teaching the second session according to the instructions of the Department of Education and Training. This money is used to repair facilities and pay teachers to participate in teaching. From the next school year, if teaching two sessions without charging fees, the school will have to calculate money from the state budget to pay teachers. In fact, teachers have taught enough regular classes, if they teach extra classes in the afternoon, they cannot avoid paying wages. Using the state budget to pay for this money will mean that the money spent on additional income at the end of the year will be reduced...

The policy of teaching 2 sessions/day for free is a very decisive and humane step. This is also a step to end the practice of "cross-teaching" at the centers. Students go to school not only to learn cultural knowledge but also to learn arts, sports, to learn to be a good person, to learn skills, "to learn to eat, to learn to speak". Hopefully, the management agencies will have specific instructions for localities to gradually overcome difficulties and effectively implement this good policy.

Source: https://nld.com.vn/chuan-bi-tung-buoc-de-day-hoc-2-buoi-ngay-mien-phi-196250508204740717.htm