Ho Chi Minh City Department of Education and Training: School programs must have at least two options.

On the afternoon of August 20th, the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Education and Training issued a document providing guidance on the selection of school programs for the 2025-2026 academic year.

Students in Ho Chi Minh City during a STEM lesson. Currently, many schools have chosen STEM as one of the contents to implement in their school programs - Photo: NHU HUNG

Accordingly, when developing content for the school curriculum, there must be at least two options for students and parents to choose from based on their needs and abilities.

The Ho Chi Minh City Department of Education and Training requires educational institutions to organize surveys to gather parental opinions, flexibly choosing survey methods such as questionnaires or quick survey software, to help parents choose the school's curriculum.

Surveys and consultations with students and parents must adhere to the principles of voluntariness, democracy, openness, transparency, and accuracy. The school program can only be implemented after the selection process is complete and the majority of parents have given their consent.

According to the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Education and Training, public educational institutions will directly decide on the content of the school curriculum, without bidding, but must obtain approval from the school board regarding activities, grade levels, content framework, methods, organizational forms, coordinating units, etc.

Heads of educational institutions are fully responsible for selecting and implementing school programs.

The content selected for the school curriculum must be licensed by the competent authority, evaluated by the Department of Education and Training, and must ensure stability and consistent implementation throughout a school level.

Clearly distinguish between the school curriculum and the regular curriculum.

In the 2024-2025 school year, alongside schools that successfully implement the school curriculum, some schools in Ho Chi Minh City are causing considerable frustration among parents. This is because primary, secondary, and high schools are imposing their own curriculum on parents without consulting them.

Schools have deliberately scheduled the school-program subjects between regular class periods. Therefore, parents are forced to pay for their children's school-program subjects, even though they are supposed to be voluntary, despite their reluctance to do so.

The above document from the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Education and Training serves both as guidance and a corrective measure for the situation. Specifically, the document states: "In all cases, educational institutions must maintain complete and clear documentation of the survey process and the results of collecting parent feedback. Surveys and feedback from parents regarding school programs must adhere to the principles of voluntariness, democracy, openness, transparency, and accuracy."

HOANG HUONG

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/so-gd-dt-tp-hcm-chuong-trinh-nha-truong-phai-co-toi-thieu-2-lua-chon-2025082015221037.htm