Tutoring: To regulate or to prohibit?

The Ministry of Education and Training (MOET) has drafted a Circular regulating supplementary teaching and learning for public comment. The deadline for submitting comments is October 22, 2024.

We must report this to the principal.

The most noteworthy aspect of the draft is the Ministry of Education and Training's plan to remove the regulations prohibiting tutoring in certain cases, as stipulated in Circular 17 dated May 16, 2012, which regulates tutoring and supplementary learning.

These regulations include: No extra tutoring for primary school students, except for: art training, physical education and sports training, and life skills training. Teachers receiving salaries from the public sector's payroll are not allowed to organize extra tutoring outside of school, but may participate in extra tutoring outside of school; they are not allowed to provide extra tutoring outside of school to students they teach in their regular classes without the permission of the head of the agency managing that teacher.

According to the draft regulations, teachers will be allowed to tutor their students outside of school, simply by notifying the principal instead of having to seek permission as is currently the case. Specifically, they only need to report and compile a list (names and classes of students) to the principal, along with a commitment not to use any form of coercion to force students to attend extra classes. The possibility of teachers being allowed to tutor their students outside of school has received much attention from teachers, parents, and education experts.

One teacher frankly stated that Circular 17 also stipulates that teachers are not allowed to provide extra tutoring outside of school for students they teach in regular classes without the permission of the head of the agency managing that teacher. However, no specific agency has been able to supervise or manage extra tutoring outside of school in recent years. Therefore, students at all levels have to take extra classes, and most are taking them with their regular teachers.

It's not worth stopping.

Dr. Nguyen Tung Lam, Chairman of the Hanoi Educational Psychology Association, stated his view: The nature of tutoring and extra classes is not something to be discouraged or considered bad if students attend voluntarily and teachers are enthusiastic and treat all students equally. In reality, with an education system heavily focused on exams, grades, and diplomas, students inevitably need to attend extra classes to achieve the highest possible test results. Tutoring and extra classes are only bad when some teachers force, coerce, or use manipulative tactics in regular classes to compel students to attend their extra classes.

The principal of a high school analyzed that, looking at the high school graduation exam and the 10th grade entrance exam, it's clear that most 9th and 12th grade students have to attend extra classes according to the school's plan, at tutoring centers, or at teachers' homes in the hope of getting accepted into the schools they applied to. Extra tutoring for final-year students is booming both inside and outside of school.

Students at Luong The Vinh High School (District 1, Ho Chi Minh City) during a class session. Photo: TAN THANH

Education expert Pham Hiep also believes that tutoring is a global phenomenon, not unique to Vietnam. In fact, in some countries, many excellent teachers don't work in regular schools but in tutoring centers. However, teachers shouldn't be allowed to tutor their own students, as they might abuse their authority in the classroom to pressure students into taking extra classes. Tutoring shouldn't be the ones grading students in class. Organizing two-session school days has already limited tutoring. Teachers not being allowed to tutor their own students is another way to curb tutoring. Schools need to innovate in centralized testing and evaluation, which will also help reduce coercion.

Ms. Van Trinh Quynh An, a teacher at Gia Dinh High School (Binh Thanh District, Ho Chi Minh City), said that according to long-standing regulations, teachers are not allowed to give extra lessons spontaneously, nor are they allowed to teach students they are already teaching in regular classes... but teachers have many ways to give extra lessons, such as establishing a company to ensure they teach legally, or teaching at centers and negotiating fees.

According to Mr. Lam Vu Cong Chinh, a teacher at Nguyen Du High School (District 10, Ho Chi Minh City), extra tutoring is a legitimate need for many students, including those who are only used to learning with their regular teachers and therefore naturally want to learn from those same teachers. Therefore, extra tutoring has existed for many years. Since salaries are insufficient to cover living expenses, it's also natural for teachers to want to provide extra tutoring to supplement their income.

"Live together," not ban.

This is not the first time the Ministry of Education and Training has raised the issue of classifying tutoring as a conditional business activity to provide a legal basis for handling it outside of school. According to experts, this is necessary in the current context, and we should find ways to "coexist" with it rather than banning it.

The draft regulations on this matter have been considered very good by many experts. For example, it doesn't necessarily mean that teachers are prohibited from tutoring students they already teach at school, and individuals wishing to tutor must register their business. This would integrate tutoring into the management system at all levels, treating it as a profession requiring licensing, similar to doctors being allowed to open private clinics; teachers could also open tutoring classes. Such regulations are clear and transparent, and from an educational perspective, show respect for the teaching profession and consider tutoring a legitimate occupation. However, whether tutoring takes place inside or outside of school, the draft should be more flexible and streamlined for teachers.

The principal of a junior high school said that if tutoring could be added to the list of conditional business activities, it would be a very worthwhile endeavor. In reality, many teachers in public schools have ample free time and therefore offer additional teaching positions at private schools, incurring personal income tax. If managed like a business, it would allow teachers to register, decide how many students they teach, and charge a certain fee, with the relevant authorities collecting taxes. However, the tax rate for this activity needs to be specific; if it's too high, it would inadvertently shift the burden onto the students.

Difficult to report in detail.

Mr. Lam Vu Cong Chinh expressed his concern that detailed reporting on extracurricular tutoring would be difficult to implement in practice. For example, if a teacher reports having 10 students in extra classes, and then the number increases by a few students each day, they still have to report it. The school's function is to manage professional matters, so cumbersome regulations will lead to a situation where teachers "monitor" each other. To manage extracurricular tutoring, regulations should be introduced for individual business owners to obtain licenses, with guaranteed conditions and streamlined procedures, more so than the licensing process for cultural enrichment centers. Teachers should commit to fulfilling the requirements of the educational management unit and relevant departments. For example, food businesses need to commit to food safety and hygiene, but it is not necessary to submit a menu for licensing.

Source: https://nld.com.vn/day-them-quan-hay-cam-196240824191432401.htm