Teaching 2 sessions/day will help students develop comprehensively, but how to do it effectively requires more investment in facilities, human resources and finance, which is shared by schools.
Correct policy
According to the conclusion of General Secretary To Lam at the working session with the Government Party Committee, ministries and branches on preparing the Resolution of the Politburo on educational and training breakthroughs and some policies to support teaching and learning on April 18, the General Secretary directed primary and secondary schools to organize teaching 2 sessions/day depending on the conditions of each locality; have a roadmap to gradually implement this policy, in which it is necessary to combine State investment as the main source with encouraging socialization.
The General Secretary emphasized the need to teach two sessions a day without charging fees and reducing pressure on students, and to increase teaching of culture and arts to ensure comprehensive development for students. The implementation period is from 2025 to 2026.
According to Ms. Tran Thi Bich Nga, Principal of Pom Lot Secondary School ( Dien Bien District, Dien Bien Province), this is a correct policy to provide students with conditions for comprehensive development.
The Ministry of Education and Training also issued Official Letter No. 7291 on instructions for teaching 2 sessions/day, which stipulates that schools do not organize cultural teaching like in the morning but instead focus on enhancing skills, possibly in the form of clubs, developing comprehensive education for students such as life skills, physical education, culture, arts, developing students' talents and interests, experiential activities, etc.
“Implementing the above spirit is very good for students, creating conditions for them to develop comprehensively. Students will have the opportunity to develop their talents and passions, improve their physical health and have a richer spiritual life, strengthen their connections with friends, the community and the school. They will develop more healthily and be less addicted to video games or phones, limiting negative influences,” Ms. Nga shared.
According to Ms. Nga, in the near future, the school will discuss further with teachers and parents as well as ask for further guidance from superiors to be able to implement two-session teaching per day from the next school year in accordance with the direction of the General Secretary.
Ms. Chu Thi Xuan Huong, Principal of Hoang Mai Secondary School (Hoang Mai District, Hanoi) also expressed her high agreement with the General Secretary's policy.
“Studying two sessions a day will help students develop their personal talents and receive comprehensive education, especially in the fields of culture, physical education, sports, and arts. The school can also arrange skills classes for students, STEM classes, and experiential classes…” said Ms. Huong.
According to Ms. Huong, Hoang Mai Secondary School is a high-quality school, recruiting students not only from one ward but from the entire Hoang Mai district. Therefore, many students go to school far from home. Studying only half a day makes families have to take them to and from school.
"I also hope that the school will have two sessions per day to create favorable conditions for students and parents and at the same time improve the quality of education," said Ms. Huong.
Need funding, facilities and professional guidance
Although it is necessary to teach two sessions a day, schools also believe that additional conditions will be needed to ensure implementation, specifically facilities, teaching staff and specific guidance from the education sector.
Although it is a very strong school in terms of movement activities, sports, culture and arts of Dien Bien district, Pom Lot Secondary School still lacks subject classrooms and multi-purpose halls to ensure 2 sessions of teaching/day, along with tools and equipment for learning, such as musical instruments.
In addition, due to the increase in teaching time, the number of teaching periods of teachers increases. Therefore, the school needs more teachers or the existing teachers will have to increase overtime. "In addition, the current standard for middle school teachers is 1.9 teachers/class, with a class size of about 40 students. However, when studying in the form of clubs, according to students' interests in the afternoon, this number can be lower," Ms. Nga analyzed.
This is also a concern of Ms. Chu Thi Xuan Huong. As a high-quality oriented school, Ms. Huong said that Hoang Mai Secondary School has enough facilities to meet the requirements of teaching 2 sessions/day, but in Hanoi, there are still many schools where students have to study half a day, or even have to take turns off school due to lack of classrooms. Therefore, first of all, we must invest in building classrooms to ensure each class has one classroom.
“Along with that is the problem of teachers. If the teaching time is increased to 2 sessions/day, teachers will have to increase their teaching hours. To meet this requirement, either the school must have more teachers, or the existing teaching staff must teach more hours, and more funding is needed to pay for it. According to the General Secretary’s direction, teaching 2 sessions/day must be guaranteed without charging students. Therefore, schools will not be able to take social resources from parents but need more investment from the budget,” Ms. Huong analyzed.
According to school leaders, according to Circular 7291 of the Ministry of Education and Training guiding the teaching of 2 sessions/day, schools can mobilize social resources and negotiate with parents to teach afternoon classes. However, according to the direction of General Secretary To Lam, teaching 2 sessions/day from the next school year will not be charged to students. Therefore, the Ministry of Education and Training needs to have specific instructions on implementing 2 sessions/day in the new spirit.
A principal in Hanoi said that the current program allocation of the Ministry of Education and Training is 30 periods/month. If schools extend the time, remove 5 morning periods, and have Saturdays off, students will only have 2-3 periods in the afternoon. Therefore, what will schools teach in the afternoon, what content will they teach to properly implement the spirit of comprehensive education, develop skills, talents, physical and mental health for students without violating regulations on extra teaching and learning and still ensure that no fees are charged to students, this is a concern of many people.
In reality, although there are art subjects in high schools, very few schools can implement them due to lack of teachers, specialized classrooms and equipment.
Sharing the wish of General Secretary To Lam that after finishing high school, each student can play a musical instrument, the principal confided: "How to help students develop comprehensively in literature, sports, and aesthetics, not only studying cultural subjects but also having knowledge of painting, music, and good skills is something that teachers and schools are concerned about. Therefore, we really hope that from the direction of the General Secretary, there will be a strong participation of ministries, branches, and localities to be able to realize this and bring a better, more comprehensive educational environment for students."
Source: https://baolaocai.vn/day-hoc-hai-buoi-mot-ngay-tu-nam-hoc-toi-dong-thuan-nhung-bon-be-noi-lo-post401576.html
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