Are they arranging to teach two sessions a day to circumvent regulations on extra tutoring?

Representatives from the Ministry of Education and Training have spoken out against the opinion that schools and localities are organizing two teaching sessions per day to circumvent the regulations on prohibiting extra classes in Circular 29/2024.

Following the implementation of Circular 29/2024 on supplementary tutoring, many localities have planned to organize two-session-per-day teaching from Monday to Friday, with Saturdays and Sundays off. Many believe that this arrangement by localities and schools is a way to circumvent the regulations prohibiting supplementary tutoring.

Associate Professor Dr. Nguyen Xuan Thanh, Director of the Secondary Education Department, Ministry of Education and Training, stated that the guidelines on teaching two sessions per day were issued in 2010. These guidelines stipulate that if morning classes are organized, the program duration should only be approximately 28-29 lessons per week.

The afternoon is for organizing other educational activities such as participating in youth groups, experiential learning, reading at the library, self-study activities, etc., and not for teaching two sessions a day, with the second session focusing on teaching academic subjects. "If organized according to guidelines, two sessions a day does not violate regulations on supplementary teaching," he emphasized.

Arranging to teach two sessions a day to circumvent regulations on extra tutoring? (Illustrative image: Chi Hieu)

When discussing the issue of extra tutoring in schools, teachers must clearly understand that "supplementary teaching activities outside the planned curriculum for a subject and educational activities within the program" are considered supplementary. Meanwhile, all other school activities during the second session (i.e., two teaching sessions per day) include many activities to help students learn independently, practice, and develop their skills.

Schools must develop specific plans and are not allowed to organize two teaching sessions per day while still filling up classrooms with students in the afternoon.

At the same time, the Director stated that schools complaining about disruptions caused by Circular 29/2024 did so because their previous afternoon education plans focused solely on extra tutoring. "If extra tutoring is not organized, but instead other educational activities are conducted, students can still apply the knowledge from various subjects and educational activities in the morning to develop their abilities in the afternoon, which is very beneficial," he explained.

Providing further guidance to schools, the Director of the Department of Secondary Education stated that educational activities aimed at developing students' competencies, as stipulated in Government Decree 24/2021, clearly allow for the collection of fees in addition to tuition fees to support educational activities, in accordance with resolutions of the provincial People's Council, if necessary.

Schools should note that organizing activities requires the use of legitimate funding sources, including the state budget and other legitimate revenue sources. At the same time, the principal is responsible for assigning teachers harmoniously and rationally, and for effectively utilizing the staff, especially the school's facilities and equipment.

Regarding concerns that the new general education curriculum is too demanding and is causing students to need extra tutoring, the Director affirmed that the new curriculum meets regulations, is less burdensome than the old one, and focuses on developing students' qualities and abilities instead of just knowledge as before. This was also concluded by the Standing Committee of the National Assembly at the end of last year.

At the same time, many teachers, when implementing the program, have assessed its superiority and its fulfillment of the spirit of reducing the workload. "If anyone says the program is 'heavy,' it's like the Minister of Education and Training once said, 'it's like storing one file on a computer but multiplying it many times – it suddenly becomes heavy.' If teachers finish teaching the main course and then use that content for extra lessons and assign homework, the 'heaviness' increases two or three times, or even more if the teacher teaches the extra lessons multiple times," he added.

The Ministry of Education and Training also gave very specific instructions: during the 45-minute class period, teachers should "teach less" and assign tasks to students. Teachers should organize guidance and monitor students' learning activities. Students must know how to learn independently in class; they must know how to read textbooks as required by the teacher to grasp the knowledge.

Khanh Huyen

Source: https://vtcnews.vn/sap-xep-day-2-buoi-ngay-de-lach-quy-dinh-day-them-ar927048.html