Parents are upset because they have to leave work at 3pm to pick up their children.

(Dan Tri) - Due to the new regulation of studying 2 sessions/day, schools in Quang Ninh let students go home from 3:30 p.m.

For the past 3 weeks, Ms. NTH (Cam Pha, Quang Ninh ) has been picking up and dropping off her child 4 times a day. Her child's school has a policy of 2 sessions a day and Saturdays off, but does not organize boarding. Therefore, around 10:30 every morning and 3:00 every afternoon, Ms. H. has to ask the leader to come home early to pick up her child.

"I have to pick up and drop off my child four times a day. Not to mention the hardship. The important thing is that no agency allows employees to take time off during working hours to pick up their children. The leaders can sympathize with me for 1 or 2 days, but they cannot sympathize forever.

I am actively looking for someone to pick up and drop off my child by the hour, for at least 2 years until he is strong enough to ride a bike to school by himself," Ms. H. shared.

Parents take their children to school on the opening day of the new school year 2025-2026 (Photo: Phuoc Tuan).

Ms. MPT in Dong Trieu, Quang Ninh is also in a similar situation. According to Ms. T., all secondary schools in the old Dong Trieu district do not have boarding schools. 2025-2026 is the first year of implementing 2 sessions/day, so the schools are not prepared with facilities to organize boarding schools according to parents' needs.

As a result, Ms. T. had to ask her grandparents to pick up and drop off her child four times a day.

"The parents in my child's class are all complaining about the disruption to their family life. Last year, my child only attended half a day of school and studied at home for the other half. This year, my child attends two sessions. When I pick him up, I have to worry about his meals and naps, and then I have to worry about asking my grandparents to come over and wake him up so he can get to class in the afternoon.

All day I just spend time taking my child to school and picking him up, I have no mind to work anymore", Ms. T. was upset.

According to a survey by Dan Tri reporters, primary school students in Quang Ninh also leave school at 3:30 p.m. Compared to the previous school year, students leave school 30 minutes earlier, and no longer study related subjects such as life skills, math thinking, English with foreigners...

"Even art and sports clubs have stopped," said a parent in Ha Long.

Dan Tri reporters contacted Ms. Nguyen Thi Thuy, Director of the Department of Education and Training of Quang Ninh province, to learn about the incident. Ms. Nguyen Thi Thuy confirmed that students must leave school at 3:30 p.m. and said that schools are following Official Dispatch 4567 guiding the organization of teaching 2 sessions/day from the 2025-2026 school year of the Ministry of Education and Training .

According to this document, the maximum number of periods that schools are allowed to teach in a day is 7. Therefore, the end time of the afternoon session cannot be later than 3:30 pm at all levels of general education.

As in previous school years, after 3:30 p.m., if parents have a need, the school can organize other educational activities such as sports, arts, life skills, foreign languages, etc.

However, according to the guidance in Official Dispatch 4567 of the Ministry of Education and Training, the contents of life skills education, financial education, art education, physical education, STEM, foreign languages, etc. are part of the official educational content of session 2. When it is no longer an after-school program, schools will not be allowed to collect money from parents as a service to support educational activities as before, according to the explanation of the Director of the Department of Education and Training.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Thuy added: "In general, the cost of the second session is taken from the state budget. If the school does not have enough teachers and resources to carry out the educational activities of the second session, it can be outsourced.

However, there are currently no economic and technical standards to calculate service prices if outsourcing. We are waiting for a guiding circular with specific accompanying policies and mechanisms to properly implement the regulations."

According to Ms. Thuy, the Department is directing schools to survey students' needs to develop a second-session study plan for each school, not imposing a common program for the entire province.

The Quang Ninh education sector aims that after implementing two-session schooling per day according to new regulations, primary school students across the province will no longer have homework or have to carry backpacks or books home from the 2025-2026 school year.

As reported by Dan Tri newspaper, the situation of students having to leave school at 3:30 p.m. also occurs in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. However, the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Education and Training has urgently instructed schools to arrange an 8th class period, not allowing students to leave school before 4:00 p.m. According to the Department's leaders, the regulation of a maximum of 7 classes per day is applied to the compulsory program.

Where does the funding for 2 sessions/day come from?

Regarding the funding for implementing 2 sessions/day from the 2025-2026 school year, Official Dispatch 4567 of the Ministry of Education and Training clearly states the two sources: local budget and socialization.

"Arrange local budgets, effectively integrate programs, projects and plans to increase investment in facilities, teaching equipment, and funding for implementing 2-session teaching/day; promote socialization, encourage and create conditions for organizations and individuals to contribute and invest resources for education according to the law," the document stated.

In the implementation organization section, the Ministry of Education and Training also requested the Departments of Education and Training to advise the Provincial People's Committees to direct departments, branches and sectors to coordinate to "mobilize resources from the whole society to participate in organizing 2-session teaching/day", ensuring suitability with the actual conditions of each locality.

At the same time, the Ministry emphasized promoting socialization, encouraging and creating conditions for organizations and individuals to contribute and invest resources in education to support the organization of teaching 2 sessions/day to ensure practicality, efficiency, publicity and transparency.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/giao-duc/phu-huynh-buc-xuc-vi-phai-bo-viec-tu-3h-chieu-di-don-con-20250915010039440.htm