Unable to exceed 7 lessons per day, many schools in Ho Chi Minh City have had to suspend teaching a second foreign language.

In the 2025-2026 school year, many schools in Ho Chi Minh City stopped teaching a second foreign language when the Ministry of Education and Training stipulated that teaching two sessions/day should not exceed seven periods/day. Some people said that this would reduce the workload for students, but others expressed regret.

Students in Ho Chi Minh City ask a Japanese calligrapher for his calligraphy - Photo: MY DUNG

"Last year, I had three French lessons a week. It was my second foreign language, alongside English, which was my first. I was very happy to learn French because it meant learning a new language. But this year's timetable no longer includes French, and I'm so disappointed," said N., a 7th-grade student at a junior high school in Ho Chi Minh City.

It is not possible to schedule the second foreign language lesson in the timetable.

Similarly, an 11th-grade student from a high school in Ho Chi Minh City also said: "This school year, my classmates and I no longer study Japanese as a second foreign language. We only study English as a foreign language. When we studied Japanese alongside English, we had very fun club activities and learned more about the unique culture of Japan."

In particular, I've also started to improve my Japanese language skills and can now communicate a little in Japanese. This year, due to the regulation of teaching seven lessons a day, the school is no longer offering Japanese language classes.

We feel a little disappointed. If foreign language instruction is discontinued, we will definitely lose the Japanese language skills we've learned over the past year."

The principal of a school stated that the school adheres to the Ministry of Education and Training's regulations on teaching seven lessons per day, and therefore cannot temporarily include a second foreign language in the students' timetable. This is because the second foreign language is not a compulsory subject but rather part of the school's curriculum.

"The school is aware that it's regrettable for students to have to drop out of their second foreign language course midway. However, the new regulation of only seven lessons per day makes it difficult for the school to choose subjects and schedule time for students."

"For grade 6 students, we are still able to teach a second foreign language to increase the opportunity for secondary school students to learn two foreign languages. However, for higher grades, due to the large number of compulsory subjects, the school has temporarily postponed teaching a second foreign language," the school principal explained.

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Students studying Japanese at Le Hong Phong High School for the Gifted during a Japanese calligraphy session - Photo: MY DUNG

In the 2018 General Education Program, a second foreign language is an elective subject taught from grades 6 to 12, aiming to provide Vietnamese students with the opportunity to learn another language in addition to their first foreign language.

The 2018 general education curriculum also aims for students to be proficient in two foreign languages ​​after graduating from high school. In this context, it is challenging for schools to simultaneously implement the seven-lesson-a-day regulation and achieve the goals of the 2018 curriculum.

Since the implementation of the 2018 General Education Program, Minh Duc Secondary School (Cau Ong Lanh Ward, Ho Chi Minh City) has begun teaching a second foreign language to 6th-grade students. After five years, the first cohort of students who studied two foreign languages ​​at the school have entered 10th grade in high schools in the area.

Last academic year, students at the school were taught two foreign languages, English and Chinese, with Chinese as the second foreign language, and the school taught three lessons per week.

With the foundation built over a long period in teaching a second foreign language to students, this school will continue to teach Chinese to all students in the 2025-2026 school year. However, in accordance with the regulations of the Ministry of Education and Training, Minh Duc Secondary School has maintained the second foreign language by having students learn some lessons on LMS (online learning software) such as experiential learning and local education subjects.

"The school has eliminated all other school programs such as talent classes and clubs to retain the second foreign language program on the K12-LMS curriculum. If any class has insufficient lessons, we will add extra lessons to ensure students receive all the necessary instruction. Because if we were to abandon the second foreign language program, it would be a great loss for all the years of hard work put into it, and it would be a shame for the students to be left behind in the program," said Ms. Le Thi Thanh Giang, the school principal.

Speaking to Tuoi Tre newspaper, principals of many junior high schools in Ho Chi Minh City argued that the regulation of teaching seven lessons per day is actually unsuitable for junior and senior high school students in achieving the goals of the 2018 General Education Program, which encourages students to learn and master a second foreign language alongside their first.

On the other hand, that regulation is also very disadvantageous for secondary and high school teachers when all subjects are "double periods" (teaching two periods/lessons or exams lasting over 60 minutes).

"The regulation of seven lessons per day is only suitable for primary school students. At the secondary and high school levels, students have to study more subjects and the curriculum is more demanding, so I think eight lessons per day are necessary to meet the learning requirements of students as well as the competency requirements that the 2018 curriculum aims for," said the principal of a secondary school in Ho Chi Minh City.

It depends on many factors.

On September 10th, the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Education and Training issued new guidelines on implementing seven lessons per day in Ho Chi Minh City. These guidelines state that schools will implement the mandatory curriculum within seven lessons; schools may add extra lessons according to their own plans.

On September 11th, in an interview with Tuoi Tre newspaper, several schools that had stopped teaching a second foreign language to students stated that they could not yet confirm whether they could "restart" the second foreign language program. This is because it depends on several factors, such as whether contracts with the second foreign language teachers have ended or not yet been signed; the risks of further changes that could disrupt the school's learning plan; and potential delays in implementation.

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Source: https://tuoitre.vn/khong-the-vuot-7-tiet-ngay-nhieu-truong-o-tp-hcm-phai-ngung-day-ngoai-ngu-2-20250911225601951.htm