Le Hong Phong High School for the Gifted, Cho Quan Ward (formerly District 5, Ho Chi Minh City), from the 2022-2023 school year, has applied the school start time for students at 7:30 a.m., except for Mondays when students arrive at school at 6:55 a.m. for the flag salute. In the afternoon, students finish school between 4:30 p.m. and 5 p.m. A 12th grade student at the school commented that the start and end times are reasonable. Final year students often have to study a lot and review for important exams, so having an extra 30 minutes to eat breakfast or travel from home to school is also valuable.
Also from the 2022-2023 school year, students at Minh Duc Secondary School, Cau Ong Lanh Ward (old District 1, Ho Chi Minh City), will start school at 7:30 instead of 7:15 like previous years.
N MULTIPLE ADJUSTMENT FIELDS
The Ministry of Education and Training has issued guidelines for organizing 2 sessions/day for general education in the 2025-2026 school year. Accordingly, primary schools will still teach 2 sessions/day as required in many years; while secondary and high schools are encouraged to teach 2 sessions/day in qualified schools, with a minimum study schedule of 5 days/week; maximum of 11 sessions/week, no more than 7 periods per day, each period 45 minutes.
Ahead of the new school year 2025 - 2026, many secondary and high schools in Ho Chi Minh City have announced new school start times.
With the new guidelines from the Ministry of Education and Training on studying 2 sessions/day, many schools have plans to delay school start times, helping students not rush to school and have time to eat breakfast.
PHOTO: Nhat Thinh
First primary school lesson at 7:30
In October 2022, Thanh Nien Newspaper published an article supporting the delay in school start times for students, at least allowing students to enter class at 7:30 a.m. (instead of 6:45 a.m. or 7 a.m. as many schools had done before).
In early November 2022, the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Education and Training issued a document requesting educational institutions to review the current school start times and adjust the start time of the first class at preschool and primary levels to no earlier than 7:30 a.m.; middle school to no earlier than 7:15 a.m.; high school to no earlier than 7:00 a.m. Schools should develop a plan to open their doors to welcome students from 6:30 a.m., and not allow students to arrive late or leave early to gather in the area in front of the school gate. After that, all schools will issue timetables and timetables with new school hours.
Currently, most elementary schools start their first class at 7:30; middle schools start their first class at 7:15; and high schools start their first class at 7:00.
At Nguyen Huu Tho High School, Xom Chieu Ward (old District 4), students are allowed to start school 30 minutes later. In the morning, instead of having to be present before 7:00 like every year, from the 2025-2026 school year, students need to be present before 7:30. The first class is from 7:30, after 4 morning classes, plus 30 minutes of recess, students finish school at 11:00. In the afternoon, students need to be present before 1:30. After 3 afternoon classes, plus 15 minutes of recess, students finish school at 16:00. Especially on Monday mornings, students need to be present before 7:15 to attend the flag salute.
Mr. Do Dinh Dao, the school principal, said that students really like the new school year 2025-2026 schedule as above. When entering class at 7:30, 30 minutes later than before, students can comfortably eat breakfast and rest, ensuring their health, and at the same time, students and parents are not rushed. Even though school starts later, the school gate still opens at 6:30 so that parents can drop their children off early and go to work.
Vo Truong Toan Secondary School, Saigon Ward (old District 1, Ho Chi Minh City), has recently announced the start time for the new school year. From September 8, students will start studying 2 sessions/day, starting at 7:30 a.m. Students in grades 6 and 7 will leave at 4:25 p.m.; students in grades 8 and 9 will leave at 4:35 p.m.
The school is waiting for specific instructions from the Department of Education and Training.
In addition, many schools still implement earlier school start times. For example, Suong Nguyet Anh Secondary School, Chanh Hung Ward (old District 8, Ho Chi Minh City), has been teaching 2 sessions/day for many years. According to the school's schedule, in the morning, students arrive at 7:00, the first class starts at 7:15, and school ends at 10:30. In the afternoon, classes start at 1:30, and students leave at 4:15. Mr. Nguyen Long Giao, the school's principal, said that if the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Education and Training guides and unifies the school start time for secondary and high schools at 7:30, the school will also implement it because "whatever is best for students and has the consent of parents, we should do it".
Mr. Le Dinh Thao, Principal of Lam Son Secondary School, Gia Dinh Ward (formerly Binh Thanh District, Ho Chi Minh City), said that the school has taught two sessions a day for many years. In recent years, the school started at 7:15 a.m., and the school opened early so that parents could drop their children off and go to work. Mr. Thao said that it would be more reasonable to delay the afternoon school start time, for example, starting school after 1:30 p.m. without affecting activities; and starting school at 7 a.m. in the morning is reasonable. "The school is also waiting for detailed instructions from the Department of Education and Training on organizing two sessions a day, including how to organize after-school clubs for students in the afternoon," Mr. Thao said.
Students of Nguyen Huu Tho High School, Xom Chieu Ward, Ho Chi Minh City will start school at 7:30 a.m., from the 2025-2026 school year.
PHOTO: PHUONG HA
DOCTOR: "DELAYS IN SCHOOL TIMES ARE REASONABLE FOR STUDENTS' HEALTH"
Talking to Thanh Nien reporters before the new school year 2025 - 2026, M., a student at a middle school in Binh Dong Ward (old District 8, Ho Chi Minh City), shared: "Previously, the bell rang to start class at 7:00, and the first period started at 7:15. If we could start class at 7:30, we would be at school at 7:15 and review our lessons, so we would have 15 more minutes to eat breakfast, and wouldn't be rushed."
Parent AK, whose child is in grade 6 at Saigon Practical High School (Saigon University), said: "I hope my child's class time is 7:30, and if possible 7:45, that would be even better. So that my child can comfortably eat breakfast without rushing. After taking my child to school, I can go to work."
Parent Ph. Thao, whose child is in grade 9 at Lam Son Secondary School, Gia Dinh Ward, Ho Chi Minh City, wishes: "If students can start school at 7:30, it would be good, so that they won't be woken up too early, and have more time to eat breakfast and go to school. The children study 2 sessions a day, so if the school start time is delayed a little bit, I don't think it will affect them."
Specialist Doctor Phan Thi Thanh Ha, Head of the Department of Pediatrics and Infectious Diseases, Chanh Hung General Hospital (HCMC), said that recently, many patients who are final year students have been examined and treated at the hospital because of stomach pain or symptoms of gastroesophageal reflux. When talking, Doctor Thanh Ha heard students say that due to stress from studying, they stay up until 12 midnight and 1 am to study, and rush to school in the morning, not having enough time to eat breakfast.
Therefore, Dr. Ha believes that the delay in school start time for primary school students has been implemented and supported by parents, so it is not difficult for secondary and high school students. According to the instructions of the Ministry of Education and Training, students study 2 sessions/day with no more than 7 periods a day, each period no more than 45 minutes, so if the first period is at 7:30, students can completely leave at 11 - 11:30 (if they do not eat at the boarding school); and those who eat at the boarding school also have 2 hours to eat and rest. Starting the afternoon class at 13:30, ending school at 16:00 - 16:30 is reasonable.
"The higher the level of education, the greater the pressure of studying and taking exams. Besides reducing the pressure, adjusting school start times even by 15-30 minutes is also meaningful for students, so they have more time to eat breakfast or rest before starting their first class," said Dr. Ha.
Source: https://thanhnien.vn/hoc-2-buoi-ngay-co-nen-lui-gio-vao-hoc-voi-bac-thcs-thpt-18525081718495467.htm
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