Modern education must shift towards developing competencies – that is, training learners to think independently, creatively, collaboratively, communicate, and learn throughout their lives.
What seemed like an old story suddenly became captivating with fresh questions: Is tutoring a temporary solution or a consequence? Should it be banned or legalized? And in the age of artificial intelligence, do we need to change our perspective on education?
This is not just a debate about governance policy, but a rare opportunity for the entire society to deeply reflect on the philosophy of Vietnamese education – something that will shape the future of Vietnamese people in a world changing at a dizzying pace.
This is particularly noteworthy in the context of the Government and agencies preparing to submit a new Politburo Resolution on breakthroughs in education and training development. Following the direction of General Secretary To Lam, this Resolution does not replace existing Resolutions, but rather selects the most crucial issues and major bottlenecks to focus on, aiming to create clear and concrete changes in the field of education and training.
Extra tutoring and supplementary classes: Reasons and paradoxes
It's undeniable that tutoring and extra classes exist because they meet a real need. From the students' and parents' perspectives, exam pressure, the fear of falling behind, and the expectation that "their children must excel" have led them to seek out every possible way to supplement their knowledge outside of school hours. From the teachers' perspective, low income forces many to tutor as a financial lifeline.
However, the paradox lies in the fact that the more extra tutoring is provided, the more the quality of regular classes is neglected; the more extra tutoring students receive, the less time they have for self-study, creativity, and developing essential life skills. In many cases, extra tutoring has become a second education – operating in parallel, sometimes even more effectively than regular classes. This not only erodes trust in the public education system but also leads to long-term consequences of imbalances in students' personality development.
Education 4.0: From "knowledge transmission" to "competency development"
Behind the phenomenon of extra tutoring lies an outdated educational concept – the notion that education is the process of transmitting knowledge from teacher to student. But in an age where all knowledge can be found on the internet or through artificial intelligence assistants with just a click, "transmitting knowledge" is no longer the core value of education.
Modern education must shift towards developing competencies – that is, training learners in the ability to think independently, creatively, collaborate, communicate, and learn throughout their lives . These are competencies that machines cannot replace humans in, and they are also the foundation for students to adapt to a constantly changing world.
It is noteworthy that Minister Nguyen Kim Son did not encourage extra tutoring; on the contrary, he considered it a manifestation of shortcomings in the current education system – from the quality of regular classes and teacher salaries to exam pressure. Furthermore, he acknowledged that the phenomenon of extra tutoring partly reflects a traditional educational concept – where "providing additional knowledge" is seen as a solution to improve academic results. Meanwhile, modern educational philosophy does not emphasize learning more, but rather learning in the right way, according to individual needs and abilities. If extra tutoring is only for cramming knowledge, exam preparation, and solving practice problems, then it is a wasteful investment – not only in terms of time, but also in terms of the holistic development of individuals in a world shifting towards creativity and lifelong learning.
AI and the personalized learning revolution.
In the era of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, artificial intelligence is creating unprecedented possibilities in the field of education. AI can track each student's learning progress, analyze their strengths and weaknesses, adjust their learning pace, provide appropriate assignments, and even predict the risk of falling behind so that timely intervention can be provided.
This means that, in the near future, every student could have their own "learning assistant" – eliminating the need for rigid extra classes and dependence on specific teachers. Self-learning abilities will be significantly enhanced, and the school's role will shift from "a place for transmitting knowledge" to "a place for inspiring and developing individual capabilities."
In this context, the question is no longer "should we have extra tutoring?", but rather: "How can students learn effectively without extra tutoring?". And "How can AI not replace teachers, but empower them?"
It shouldn't be prohibited, but it certainly shouldn't be tacitly accepted either.
Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly Tran Quang Phuong is absolutely right when he says that tutoring is a real need and cannot be simply banned. However, the danger lies in when tutoring becomes the norm.
Managing extracurricular tutoring requires a clear distinction: what constitutes voluntary support and what constitutes profiteering; what is a need for personal development and what is a consequence of existing shortcomings. It is absolutely unacceptable for regular teachers to tutor their own students – as this creates conflicts of interest that erode professional ethics and educational equity.
Therefore, instead of extreme prohibitions or passive acceptance, we need a flexible approach with a smart transition roadmap – from an education system "dependent on extra tutoring" to one where "children can learn well without extra tutoring."
What direction should Vietnamese education take?
To fundamentally address the issue of extra tutoring, the most important thing is to reform the education system from within, rather than just tightening control from the outside. A quality education system will naturally eliminate the need for extra tutoring among students. And to achieve that, three approaches should be prioritized.
First, improve the quality of formal education. This is a prerequisite. When classroom lessons are truly engaging, effective, and in-depth, students will no longer feel the need for extra tutoring. But to achieve this, the curriculum must be genuinely reduced, avoiding the practice of "cutting one part and cramming another." At the same time, the methods of testing and evaluation must be reformed so that students no longer study solely for grades, and teachers no longer teach only to complete tests. More importantly, the teaching staff needs to be retrained in a new spirit – not just imparting a lot of knowledge, but rather fostering abilities, guiding learning methods, and developing independent thinking in students.
Secondly, invest heavily in educational technology and artificial intelligence (AI).
Technology cannot replace teachers, but it can be a very effective support. Repetitive, mechanical tasks should be handled by technology, allowing teachers to focus on what's most important: inspiring and supporting their students. With the support of AI, students can have their learning process personalized, knowing what they need to learn, how to learn it, and how to progress. Then, they no longer need crowded, rigid tutoring classes, but can learn in their own way – smarter and more effectively.
Third, we need to refine the philosophy of education. If education is solely focused on exams, then extra tutoring is inevitable. But if education is about helping each individual develop holistically – with character, aspirations, and the capacity for lifelong learning – then the approach must be completely different. In that case, schools are not just places to teach knowledge, but places to sow the joy of learning, spark big questions, and nurture dreams. Students don't go to class to "get extra tutoring," but to become the best version of themselves.
A learning society is not a society that only studies.
The parliamentary debate on tutoring and supplementary education – if it only focused on whether or not to ban it – would simply fade away like before. But if we look at it from a perspective that reflects on the educational philosophy, operational model, and training goals of the entire system, then it is a valuable opportunity for reform.
No one denies that many students still need extra tutoring today. But we cannot accept a future where tutoring becomes the norm – and formal schooling is merely a formal framework.
In the age of AI, intelligence isn't about learning more, but about learning the right way and living a more meaningful life.
It's time for Vietnamese education to transform – to stop struggling with stopgap measures like extra tutoring, and instead create a truly learning society where everyone can learn throughout their lives without sacrificing their childhood or health.
Dr. Nguyen Si Dung
Source: https://baochinhphu.vn/day-them-hoc-them-va-cau-hoi-lon-ve-triet-ly-giao-duc-102250623200010802.htm
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