'Dark corners' when implementing regulations to tighten extra teaching and learning

After 4 months of Circular 29 on extra teaching and learning taking effect and the massive inspection campaigns have subsided, the "dark corners", ways to circumvent the law, and the fragile boundary between right and wrong have been revealed.

" Filler" for primary school students is still vibrant

The regulation banning extra teaching and learning at primary school level has been in place for a long time, although it has not been effective. Circular 29 reiterates this as if to affirm that it does not compromise with this reality. However, Thanh Nien reporters have noted that the ban on extra teaching at primary school level has not yet been implemented outside of school.

In fact, many public school teachers have temporarily stopped tutoring at school and at home, and no longer "pull" their students to tutoring classes opened by the teachers. However, tutoring for primary school students at centers is still quite public with massive recruitment announcements on social networks with hundreds of thousands of followers and interactions. In particular, the summer is when these centers recruit students and operate more busily than ever.

Recently, after Circular 29, inspection teams discovered many violations by tutoring centers regarding extra teaching and learning, especially with primary school students.

PHOTO: D.NB

In a residential area on Nguyen Tuan Street (Thanh Xuan District, Hanoi ), a tutoring center named TXED has been recruiting elementary school students from grade 3 since May with 3 subjects: math, Vietnamese, English, aiming to "prepare for the exam" to enter middle schools that organize stressful entrance "exams" such as: Luong The Vinh, Nguyen Tat Thanh, Nang Khieu, Ngoai Ngu, Cau Giay, Thanh Xuan...

Many groups of classes and tutoring centers of this or that teacher publicly post recruitment for elementary school students like that in Hanoi. The "hottest" is probably Mr. T's math center. Without advertising or recruiting, parents whose children want to study at this teacher's center have to "watch out" and be quick to register for an entrance exam. After that, the students have to take a test as stressful as the entrance exam for specialized schools and selective classes for the teacher to arrange their classes. Some parents shared: "My child is a public school student, when I looked at the list of candidates for the math class of the teacher, I was really shocked...", or: "My child is in grade 2, last year he failed the exam for the teacher's class, so I had to wait a year and take the exam again to study with him"...

This center recruits students starting from grade 2, but the recruitment period is only once in early May every year, which means that grade 1 students who have not yet had summer vacation and parents who are interested must wait to have a spot for their children to apply to study. "My family has a grade 1 student going to grade 2. Last time, I missed 5 minutes and missed my turn to register for the teacher's class. I waited for a whole year because the teachers did not teach grade 1. If the teachers read my feelings, please let my child test for grade N to wait for the opportunity! I promise that I will accompany my child closely"..., a parent commented passionately on the math class group of teacher T.

The day when students take the entrance exam to decide whether they can get into the center or be placed in the right class is also very stressful. Many parents share their feelings of nervousness, anxiety, "heartache"... no less than when their children are taking the most important exams in their lives. Then comes the feeling of "bursting" with happiness, joy, or disappointment, sadness... Many parents believe that having a place in one of his classes means their children have one foot in the 6th grade of the middle schools that require entrance exams in Hanoi.

To give a few examples, although it is forbidden to teach extra classes for primary school students in any form, it seems that this regulation has not yet been applied to tutoring centers outside of schools. "Due to the great demand of parents" is the explanation often received when talking about the "heat" of tutoring classes for primary school students. Especially in Hanoi, where there are a series of private schools, high-quality public schools, secondary schools affiliated with major universities with entrance exams, the competition rate can be said to be "terrible" when one student competes with dozens of other students to hope for a place in the school.

TEACHERS GO TO TUTORING CENTERS, THEY HAVE ALL THE WAYS TO PULL STUDENTS WITH THEM

Since Circular 29 took effect, parents and high school students have also been a monitoring channel when basing on the regulations in the circular to "denounce" illegal tutoring classes. The press and authorities have received many reports through these channels. The most prominent is the situation where instead of tutoring at school as before, teachers take students to centers outside the school to "voluntarily" take extra classes.

In April, a cultural training center on Chua Lang Street (Dong Da District, Hanoi) had to temporarily suspend operations after receiving complaints from parents and authorities. This is where about 600 students of Lang Thuong Secondary School (near the center) regularly go to learn math, literature, English and natural sciences . Notably, according to parents, the teachers at the center are the ones who directly teach in class.

When parents reported, the press got involved, and the interdisciplinary inspection team of Lang Thuong Ward verified that the center had not yet presented any records related to monthly fee collection; had not yet presented any fire prevention and fighting records... Immediately after that, the inspection team decided to stop the center's operations. The Dong Da District Department of Education and Training also inspected the registration of Lang Thuong Secondary School teachers to teach extra classes outside of school because most of the teachers teaching at the center were teachers at this school. According to the inspection results, the teachers reported to the principal about their request to teach extra classes outside of school; signed a commitment to implement Circular 29 such as: not teaching their regular students for money, teaching extra classes outside of regular teaching hours...

Obviously, the school only reported to the inspection team like that and could not control whether its teachers fulfilled their commitments or not. The inspection team also did not clarify whether there was any connection between the school and the other center or not.

A tutoring center teaches primary school students Vietnamese and math, which is not in accordance with the regulations of Circular 29.

PHOTO: D.NB

Recently, Thanh Nien Newspaper received a complaint from parents of secondary schools such as Le Loi High Quality School (Hanoi) about the situation of some teachers taking their students to the center right at the school gate to teach extra classes, each class 2 sessions/week. After being complained, this teacher moved to another place but still taught his students for money.

Previously, in March, many parents of students at Luong Khanh Thien Secondary School ( Hai Phong ) were upset when their children studied at school for half a day, and the other half had to go to a factory to study extra. The extra teaching and learning here was "illegible" when students registered to study at a cultural knowledge training center, but in reality, students from all classes in Luong Khanh Thien Secondary School came here to study, and both teachers and students were from the school... After that, the authorities stepped in and handled the violation.

However, many students in Hanoi and other provinces and cities have reported that extra teaching and learning is becoming more and more sophisticated because teachers have found ways to "circumvent the law". Circular 29 does not prohibit teachers from giving extra lessons outside of school, but it prohibits teachers from giving extra lessons for money to their own students. Therefore, to legalize this, teachers in the same school collude to exchange students. For example, in school, Ms. A teaches math for grade 6B, Ms. B teaches math for grade 6A, but when going to the center, Ms. A will teach Ms. B's grade 6A students and vice versa, to ensure that the regulation of "teaching students in their own regular classes" is not violated.

Parents and students, if lucky enough to meet good, dedicated teachers, will also voluntarily and happily participate in these extra classes. Otherwise, they have to accept the situation of "old wine in new bottles" because of many worries: worrying about not knowing where to go on the second session because the school only teaches one session; worrying about being "noticed" by the teacher; worrying about their children having gaps in knowledge if the teacher does not teach thoroughly in class but saves it for the extra class...

Therefore, if the centers are not strictly controlled, they will become places to "legalize" extra teaching. Teachers only need not teach the class they are in charge of to be considered not in violation. (to be continued)

Violations in extra teaching and learning at tutoring centers

In mid-March, the People's Committee of Binh Hung Hoa A Ward (Binh Tan District, Ho Chi Minh City) announced that through an inspection of a number of tutoring centers and extra-curricular teaching and learning facilities, the ward discovered violations related to regulations on extra-curricular teaching and learning.

Based on the inspection report, at the Ý Mỹ Tutoring Center, the inspection team recorded that the ground floor of the center has 2 rooms, both teaching elementary school students Vietnamese, math, and English.

At Thien Ngan Tutoring Center, at the time of inspection, there were 18 children (mostly elementary school students) being kept by the center, with no commitment between parents and the facility.

Bich Thanh

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/goc-khuat-khi-thuc-hien-quy-dinh-siet-day-them-hoc-them-185250615212010915.htm