Lai Chau strives to overcome difficulties to organize 2 teaching sessions per day

Schools in mountainous areas face difficulties

Teaching 2 sessions/day aims to comprehensively develop students' abilities, expanding afternoon activities such as creative experiences, sports, life skills, STEM education , foreign languages... This is a necessary step for students in mountainous areas to access modern programs, approaching national education standards.

In the journey of fundamental and comprehensive educational innovation, Lai Chau province is striving to overcome difficulties to achieve the goal of organizing 2 teaching sessions/day.

However, in a mountainous province like Lai Chau, the terrain is fragmented, the population is scattered, many villages are far from the center, organizing 2 sessions/day faces many challenges. First of all, the shortage of teachers, especially English, IT, Fine Arts, Music, forces many schools to have teachers teach part-time or on contract, affecting the quality of educational activities taking place in the afternoon.

Nam Pi Primary Boarding School for Ethnic Minorities, Le Loi Commune combines classes to learn English.

According to the report of the Department of Education and Training of Lai Chau province, in the 2025-2026 school year, the whole province is still short of more than 1,000 teachers compared to the norm of the Ministry of Education and Training . Of which, the number of teachers lacking compared to the assigned staff is 596 people (154 preschoolers; 64 primary schoolers; 259 secondary schoolers; 119 high school and continuing education teachers).

Mr. Bui Van Nhiet, Principal of Nam Pi Primary Boarding School for Ethnic Minorities, Le Loi Commune, shared: “We do not have an English teacher, so we have to ask a teacher from Chan Nua Secondary School to teach. The school has grouped classes in the same grade into the dining area to learn English.”

After implementing the two-level local government model, Sin Suoi Ho commune manages 9 schools, 159 classes, 3,273 high school students and more than 1,000 preschool children. Through understanding the situation of facilities and human resources, educational institutions all share the same difficult situation in terms of subject classrooms and libraries. Some schools lack teaching equipment or have it but it is not synchronized. Notably, in the 2025-2026 school year, the commune lacks 13 primary and secondary school teachers, including 6 English teachers.

Ms. Do Thi Thanh Binh, Principal of Then Sin Primary Boarding School, Sin Suoi Ho Commune, shared: “This year, the school has 16 classes with 348 students, but is still short of 3 teachers, including 1 English teacher. We have to combine classes, increase teaching hours to ensure program progress and maintain the second class.”

Teachers and students of Si Lo Lau Primary Boarding School, Si Lo Lau commune.

Mr. Nguyen Van Thai, Principal of Ta Mung Secondary School for Ethnic Minorities, Muong Kim Commune, worried: "The school is currently lacking teachers in Math, Technology and English. In the short term, we will increase the number of hours and mobilize teachers from other schools to support, but in the long term, we really need to add staff to stably implement the 2-session/day learning model."

In addition to the lack of teachers, some schools face difficulties in terms of facilities. Many schools in remote, isolated, and border areas lack functional rooms, playgrounds, and multi-purpose halls to organize experiential activities and boarding. Along with that, organizing 2 sessions/day leads to increased operating costs (electricity, water, boarding meals, teacher allowances, etc.) while the ability to mobilize from the local budget is limited, and socialization faces many obstacles in difficult areas.

Mr. Nguyen Tien Thanh, Principal of Pa Tan Secondary School, Pa Tan Commune, informed: "The school cannot organize 2 sessions a day due to inadequate facilities. This year, the school has 12 classes, 458 students but only 6 classrooms. Currently, we divide the classes into 2 shifts."

Synchronize solutions to overcome difficulties

Faced with these challenges, Lai Chau Department of Education and Training has proactively developed a roadmap for implementing two-session teaching per day based on the actual conditions of each locality. Accordingly, localities will implement it step by step, with those with sufficient conditions to do so first, and those without will be given priority for additional investment.

Along with that, many schools are still flexible in finding ways to adapt. Some places organize afternoons in the form of sports, arts, and career clubs; others combine agricultural, handicraft, and environmental experience activities.

Mr. Nguyen Tien Xuan, Principal of Si Lo Lau Secondary School, Si Lo Lau Commune, said: “We determined that the second class is not 'extra study' but 'fun study'. The students get to exercise, play, and practice life skills - something that students in the highlands have long lacked.”

Music lesson of teachers and students of Tung Qua Lin Secondary School for Ethnic Minorities, Dao San commune.

“With the implementation of teaching 2 sessions per day, the initial results are very positive. The rate of students attending classes is higher, and students' life skills and communication skills have improved significantly” – Ms. Lu Thi Lan Huong, Principal of Tung Qua Lin Secondary School for Ethnic Minorities, Dao San Commune said.

Regarding the shortage of teachers, Mr. Mac Quang Dung, Director of Lai Chau Department of Education and Training, said: "In the coming time, we will continue to consolidate schools, bring students to study centers and boarding schools if conditions permit to increase the student/class ratio. Recruit and contract teachers who are still lacking compared to the assigned number of positions. At the same time, transfer teachers from places with surplus to places with shortage."

In addition, the Department of Education and Training of Lai Chau province directed schools to proactively arrange teachers to teach extra hours and periods; proactively assign tasks to teachers from schools with enough capacity to teach part-time in schools with shortages, from schools with little shortages to schools with a lot of shortages, from middle school teachers to teach primary school in some specialized subjects, and combine direct teaching with online teaching...

Vietnamese lesson of teachers and students of Vang Ma Chai Primary Boarding School, Si Lo Lau commune.

In recent years, Lai Chau Department of Education and Training has also promoted the recruitment of students to participate in teacher training for subjects that are in short supply. At the same time, it has encouraged and created conditions for teachers of subjects that are in excess compared to the structure and job positions to participate in second-degree training in subjects that are in short supply of teachers in the locality and unit.

According to the Lai Chau Province Education Development Strategy, the goal by 2030 is for 100% of primary school students to study two sessions per day. This is considered a key solution to improve quality and develop comprehensive capacity for students.

“When the solutions are implemented synchronously, the problem of local teacher shortage for the 2025-2026 school year will be gradually resolved. Thereby, creating favorable conditions for educational institutions to be flexible in organizing two teaching sessions per day, contributing to improving the quality of comprehensive education,” informed Mr. Mac Quang Dung.

Source: https://giaoducthoidai.vn/lai-chau-no-luc-vuot-kho-to-chuc-day-hoc-2-buoi-moi-ngay-post754927.html