Many teachers have stopped giving extra lessons to elementary school students.

Circular 29 on supplementary teaching and learning, effective from February 14, 2025, stipulates that "supplementary teaching shall not be organized for primary school students, except for cases of training in arts, physical education and sports , and life skills."

English classes are also temporarily suspended.

A few weeks before Tet (Lunar New Year), when information surrounding Circular 29 on tutoring and supplementary classes began to heat up, Ms. Ngoc An (name changed), whose child attends primary school in District 1 (Ho Chi Minh City), received information that her child's evening tutoring classes in math and Vietnamese would be temporarily suspended. To this day, the classes have not reopened. However, she still sends her child to an English center, where classes are still being held as usual.

Students leave school at an after-school cultural center. New regulations on tutoring and supplementary classes will officially come into effect on February 14th.

Similarly, over the past few weeks, Ms. Ngoc Bich (name changed), an English teacher in Hung Yen, has stopped teaching English classes to elementary school students for fear of violating Circular 29. She only maintains classes for middle and high school students to prepare for certification exams, entrance exams for grade 10, and high school graduation exams. These are not students Ms. Bich teaches in her regular classes (she teaches in her regular elementary school classes). As a teacher at a public school, Ms. Bich cannot organize extra classes or tutoring sessions, but she does teach extra classes at a registered business that pays all taxes.

Ms. Bich affirmed that Circular 29 is excellent because it states that "Teachers currently teaching at schools are not allowed to provide extra tutoring outside of school for a fee to students they are assigned to teach according to the school's educational plan." This will eliminate the practice of "forcing" students to attend extra classes.

THINGS THAT STILL REMAIN UNCERTAIN

However, Ms. Bich was very concerned that Clause 1, Article 4 of Circular 29 stipulates that "no extra classes shall be organized for primary school students, except for cases of art, physical education, and life skills training," but it makes no mention of foreign languages ​​in this "excluded" group.

Ms. Bich also pointed out a problem: currently, class sizes are very large, and not all schools meet the requirement of fewer than 35 students per class as stipulated in the regulations for primary schools. Meanwhile, recruiting English teachers in public schools is very difficult, with some schools even lacking them. "Each English lesson at school is only 35 minutes long, which will be a major challenge if we want primary school students to become proficient in English just by studying at school, especially to meet the requirements of exams and assessments to enter the top-tier schools for grade 6," Ms. Bich said.

An English teacher at a public primary school in Ho Chi Minh City is also concerned about her part-time teaching job at an English center, where the center handles all student recruitment. The program she teaches at the center uses different curricula than the current textbooks, helping students prepare for certificates such as Starters, Movers, or IELTS… Does this additional work count as supplementary teaching and should comply with the regulations in Circular 29?

"I didn't participate in the recruitment process, nor did I collect any fees. I only teach under contract with the center. If an English teacher from a primary school participates in teaching English at the center, and teaches the same class with the same students they teach at school, would that violate Circular 29?", this teacher questioned.

Many parents share the same concern. "My child is a primary school student; would attending English classes at a language center be considered a violation?" parent Ngoc An wondered.

Cases where tutoring is and is not allowed

TEACHING ENGLISH AT A CENTER IS NOT CLASSIFIED AS "EXTRA CLASSIFICATION"

Responding to a reporter from Thanh Nien newspaper, Mr. Ho Tan Minh, Chief of the Office of the Department of Education and Training of Ho Chi Minh City, said: "Teaching English at centers focuses on practicing speaking, listening, reading, and preparing for certificates such as Starters, Movers… not teaching classroom knowledge; learning English here is to develop competence. Therefore, teaching English at centers (even for primary school students) should not be classified as supplementary teaching."

Mr. Minh also emphasized the need to clearly understand the concept of supplementary teaching and learning. Clause 1, Article 2 of Circular No. 29/2024/TT-BGDĐ dated December 30, 2024, issued by the Ministry of Education and Training, defines supplementary teaching and learning as: "Supplementary teaching and learning is additional teaching and learning activities beyond the time allotted in the educational plan for subjects and educational activities in the general education program, the continuing education program at the lower secondary level, and the continuing education program at the upper secondary level, as issued by the Minister of Education and Training."

The Chief of Staff of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Education and Training stated: "When foreign language centers are granted operating licenses to organize teaching, they are not licensed to teach the content taught in schools, but to teach English Starters, Movers, KET, PET, etc., using different materials and developing different skills, so it is not included in the main curriculum."

"Language centers in Ho Chi Minh City are licensed to operate educational activities to teach practical English according to Circular 28 (Circular No. 28/2021/TT-BGDĐT of the Ministry of Education and Training on promulgating the Continuing Education Program on Practical English). No language center is licensed to teach English under the 2018 General Education Program. Therefore, if a language center organizes English classes based on the 2018 General Education Program, it is violating its license," Mr. Ho Tan Minh added.

The reporter asked what would happen if a foreign language center "circumvented the law" and continued to teach students review material according to the 2018 General Education Program. Mr. Minh stated that this is a matter of management, inspection, supervision, and handling of violations. The Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee has issued a document stating that the management of extracurricular tutoring must be carried out at all levels, from the Department of Education and Training to the People's Committees of districts, communes, and wards. Tutoring centers and facilities must be responsible for complying with the regulations. Centers must publicly disclose teachers, curricula; who teaches, what content is taught, and what curriculum is used. If an inspection team finds that the teaching does not comply with the license, the center will be fined, its license revoked, and it will no longer be allowed to operate.

We'll give an example: a teacher at a public primary school, outside of working hours, teaches IC3 certification courses at a foreign language and computer center. Would this be considered supplementary teaching according to Circular 29? And if this teacher teaches the same students they teach at the primary school, is that permissible?

Regarding this case, Mr. Minh stated that this is not a tutoring or supplementary education activity, because teaching IC3 focuses on teaching skills and developing students' abilities and qualities. IC3 is not part of the general education curriculum; the center teaches to help students obtain an international certificate, cultivate their abilities and skills, and this is not teaching core curriculum knowledge.

Primary school teachers are still allowed to give extra lessons in some cases.

Mr. Ho Tan Minh emphasized that Circular No. 29 does not prohibit teachers from giving extra lessons; the issue is that they must teach in accordance with the regulations in the circular, and not undermine the dignity and prestige of the education sector and teachers.

Regarding primary school teachers, the circular does not prohibit tutoring. "Primary school teachers are not allowed to tutor subjects they teach in the regular school curriculum. However, they can teach other subjects such as handwriting, handicrafts, STEM, music, painting, and other talents," he said.

The Chief of Staff of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Education and Training also stated that a music teacher at a public school can still teach musical instruments to students at a center. Similarly, teachers at schools can teach piano, drawing, sports, etc., at centers because these are subjects that cultivate students' talents and are not considered subjects that teach academic knowledge, so they are not classified as supplementary teaching or tutoring.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/nhieu-giao-vien-dung-day-them-hoc-sinh-tieu-hoc-185250209221010588.htm