Ha Giang students get acquainted with English learning software in session 2 - Photo: Vinh Ha
For the first time, the Ministry of Education and Training has specific instructions on the principles, content, and form of teaching 2 sessions/day at all 3 levels of education. In particular, at junior high school and high school, teaching 2 sessions/day is not mandatory but can be organized depending on the conditions of each place.
No interleaving of compulsory and need-based education
The guidance document also states that there is no strict regulation that session 1 (teaching compulsory education programs) must be in the morning and session 2 (activities and subjects according to demand) must be in the afternoon, but that it can be flexibly arranged according to conditions and needs. In particular, the Ministry of Education and Training does not allow the interleaving of compulsory education and teaching content according to demand in one session.
In the "session 2" content guide for each level of education, it is specified more specifically. In addition to reviewing knowledge for 3 subjects - in accordance with the regulations in Circular 29 on extra teaching and learning (remedial tutoring for students who have not met the requirements, nurturing excellent students, reviewing for final year students), session 2 has a variety of content, with flexible teaching and learning methods and activities including self-study activities of students.
"With the correct understanding of the second session, the school does not have enough facilities for each class/room to still be able to flexibly and reasonably arrange student activities inside or outside the classroom; divide into small or concentrated groups, and even have space for students to do individual activities such as self-study, reading, participating in practice and experiments.
"Monitoring, guiding, and supervising students in the second session does not necessarily require a teacher/class at every hour, but can assign a teacher to be in charge of the group activities of students from many classes; can combine with artisans, artists, public figures, people working in different fields to participate in activities, share, and guide students instead of teachers directly teaching," Mr. Nguyen Xuan Thanh, principal of Hanoi School of Education Staff, explained.
Mr. Thanh said that the method of organizing 2 sessions/day is also one of the contents that the Hanoi School of Education Officers will conduct training on.
Parents support and concern
Mr. Phung Tien Hai, a parent whose child attends Dich Vong A Secondary School (Hanoi), shared that the issue he is more concerned about is not whether or not to charge for letting his child study 2 sessions/day, but what the content of the 2 sessions/day study is like, whether it really benefits his child or not, and whether the right to choose the study content belongs to parents and students or not.
"If children can choose to study by themselves, read books in the library, participate in club activities, practice activities, and different learning topics, it is an advantage compared to the past when students had to study in class with a schedule divided equally between the morning and afternoon," said Mr. Hai.
In Ho Chi Minh City, many parents believe that the Ministry of Education and Training's guidelines have many positive points and are quite detailed. "However, the problem is that the ministry needs to regularly inspect and check so that schools properly implement the policy," suggested Ms. Thanh Mai, a parent with two children studying at secondary and high schools in Ho Chi Minh City.
Ms. Thanh Mai said: "My child's high school implements a 2-session/day teaching model and 100% of students must participate, whether they want to or not. At first, I was very excited when I heard the announcement because I thought that 2-session learning would benefit the students.
In the morning, the children study the main curriculum, and in the afternoon, they review, study advanced subjects, and delve deeper... But after half a semester of the 2024-2025 school year, my child came home complaining that he was bored and did not want to study the second session. The reason was because the second session was taught almost the same as the first session, still the same class, the same number of students in the class, and the same subject teacher...
My child said it was just a form of extra study. He didn't need to study extra, he needed to study advanced to be able to pass the entrance exam to the University of Medicine and Pharmacy."
At her daughter's request, Ms. Mai met with the school board to ask for her child to not attend the second class.
"My application was not approved because the school teaches in two sessions a day, and students are required to attend. So, instead of going to the center in the afternoon, my child still has to go to school, and then in the evening, he has to take his notebooks to extra classes. As a result, I have to pay both the tuition for the second session and the tuition for the extra class."
Similarly, Ms. Thu Ha, a parent who also works in the education sector, analyzed: "In fact, the previous instructions on teaching 2 sessions/day from management levels have also stated very clearly. In which, schools must arrange the 2nd session class differently from the 1st session.
For example, students who want to take the B university entrance exam will be placed in the same class for extra classes. Students who are weak in their studies will be placed in the same class for extra tutoring. Class teachers also need to arrange for efficiency and cannot copy the entire class structure and teachers from session 1 to session 2. Therefore, many parents think that it is a form of extra hours or extra teaching. This is the reason why parents are not interested in studying 2 sessions/day."
Ms. NTHH, a parent of a child studying at an elementary school in Ho Chi Minh City, said: "My child's school schedules robotics as the third period of the morning. How can I pick my child up at that time when he continues reading in the fourth period? When I complained, the principal affirmed that he would not force students to study the school's curriculum. If parents cannot pick their children up, they can take them to the library.
That's the theory, but my child is only in 2nd grade, and there is no teacher to supervise his class - I'm very worried. I told him to go to the library, but what if he doesn't go and wanders around the school yard and something unfortunate happens? My husband said that paying for the child to learn robotics is for peace of mind, if the child doesn't like it, he can just go to class and play, the school program doesn't test or evaluate, so don't worry."
Specify the duration to prevent overload
To prevent overload, the Ministry of Education and Training's guidelines clearly stipulate the minimum and maximum duration of 2 sessions/day. Specifically, in primary schools, 2 sessions/day are taught, with no more than 7 periods/week. Each period is 35 minutes, and the teaching plan is 9 sessions/week (equivalent to 32 periods/week). In secondary and high schools, a minimum of 5 days/week and a maximum of 11 sessions/week are ensured.
Should survey student needs for session 2
Ms. H. suggested: "The document of the Ministry of Education and Training instructs schools to survey the learning needs of students studying the second session before starting the new school year. Therefore, I hope that schools will strictly implement this.
That means parents must be allowed to choose subjects within the school curriculum. On that basis, the school will arrange appropriate classes, not requiring 100% of students to study the school curriculum as is currently the case."
No fee for 2nd session
Parents and students come to submit their applications for admission to grade 10 at Nguyen Thai Binh High School, Tan Hoa Ward, Ho Chi Minh City - Photo: NHU HUNG
Another new point is that schools do not collect fees from parents to register students for the second session as they did before. The Ministry of Education and Training's guidelines stipulate that funding is allocated from local budgets, effectively integrating programs, projects, and plans to increase investment in facilities, teaching equipment, and funding for implementation.
In addition, promote socialization, encourage and create conditions for organizations and individuals to contribute and invest resources in education according to the law.
Regarding the issue of funding, some principals in Hanoi said this is the most worrying point. The principal of a secondary school in Hoan Kiem ward (Hanoi) said: "We need clearer regulations. Because in reality, the regular budget for schools is very limited, making it difficult to arrange for many diverse activities as the ministry's guidelines state.
The regulation allows socialization, but similar to the extra teaching in schools for 3 groups according to Circular 29, schools do not know how to "take from other sources of income" or "implement socialization" correctly. The boundary between right and wrong in this matter is unclear, so schools are afraid of being wrong.
Source: https://tuoitre.vn/day-hoc-2-buoi-ngay-hoc-sinh-co-duoc-chon-noi-dung-buoi-hoc-thu-hai-20250807075059076.htm
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