What does the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Education and Training say about 'voluntary subjects' and joint subjects?

What does the Department of Education and Training of Ho Chi Minh City say about 'voluntary subjects' and joint subjects in the timetables of students at all levels in Ho Chi Minh City in the 2025-2026 school year after the articles in Thanh Nien Newspaper?

In recent days, Thanh Nien Newspaper has published a series of articles after receiving feedback from parents about the construction of timetables in many schools in Ho Chi Minh City; the organization of "voluntary subjects" and joint subjects in the school curriculum. In the past few years, at the beginning of every school year, parents have reported the above concerns, but it seems like everything has returned to normal.

This afternoon (September 25), at the regular socio -economic press conference organized by the Propaganda and Mass Mobilization Department of the Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee, Thanh Nien Newspaper reporters raised 3 questions to representatives of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Education and Training about the above concerns and questions.

Mr. Ho Tan Minh, Chief of Office of the Department of Education and Training of Ho Chi Minh City, answered at the press conference on the afternoon of September 25.

PHOTO: NGUYEN ANH

3 questions about voluntary subjects and associated subjects

The first question is, is the current 2018 General Education Program of the Ministry of Education and Training not effective enough to teach students, so it is required that if you want to study well in the 2018 program, you have to take supplementary subjects (voluntary, with fees)? Does this lead to injustice in the public education environment when students from well-off families will take all the voluntary and supplementary subjects, while students without money cannot participate?

Second question, if the student is a child of a worker, a child living with grandparents who are unable to work and cannot pay 1-2 million VND per month for their child (if they finish boarding school, 2 sessions/day and take all voluntary and joint subjects), what solutions does the school need to have to avoid creating injustice in the public environment?

And the third question, we recently saw that the Department of Education and Training of Ho Chi Minh City issued a document directing teaching 2 sessions/day, but it was speaking in general terms, not specifically mentioning the issues as reported by Thanh Nien Newspaper. So in the coming time, does the Department of Education and Training have any more specific solutions to rectify schools, regarding voluntary and joint subjects, and school programs?

Chief of Office of Department of Education and Training of Ho Chi Minh City responded

At the press conference, Mr. Ho Tan Minh, Chief of Office of the Department of Education and Training of Ho Chi Minh City, answered the above issues as follows: "I would like to talk about the general viewpoint. The 2018 general education program builds content specifically related to the formation and development of learners' capacity and qualities. In which, the content program framework also stipulates the specific number of periods. For example, in primary school, there are about 26 to 29 periods, in middle school and high school, there are an average of 29 periods/week. Then, the Ministry of Education and Training implemented a 2-session/day program under the direction of the General Secretary , building a program for all 2 sessions/day. Session 1 is spent on implementing the organization of the program for subjects from the 2018 general education program. The content of session 2 is to solve the story of capacity and quality formation and new content, such as STEM, bringing AI into schools, movement, life skills, eliminating swimming illiteracy...

So in these activities, according to the requirements of the 2025-2026 school year, the Department of Education and Training has given very clear instructions on the implementation of sessions 1 and 2, ensuring that schools carry out 7 periods a day and no more than 5 days. That is, the number of periods to carry out is about 35 periods a week. After 7 periods, the school will develop additional school programs. Right from the beginning of the year, the Director has clearly instructed the school to allow parents to register. Here, first, the return time is calculated to be around 4:00 p.m. - 4:30 p.m., creating conditions for pick-up and drop-off. Second, children have access to new content. And for this content, the Director has clearly instructed the school to allow parents to register, then arrange classes according to the need to register for this activity."

"However, the school must organize these contents, it is not that if the students do not participate in these contents, we will miss out. Any principal who does so is doing something wrong, and if he does something wrong, he must be corrected. The Department has given very clear instructions, in the content of building cultural and artistic activities, all activities similar to the activities in which students participate in school programs must have teachers to guide and teachers to participate. And these will be the contents that we will correct. (Mr. Minh means that even if students do not study voluntary subjects - associated subjects, they will still have to be organized to participate in purposeful educational activities, with the participation of teachers - reporters)", said Mr. Ho Tan Minh.

Mr. Ho Tan Minh continued: "Regarding some timetables, there are subjects that, as you have reflected, have been guaranteed for these classes. When parents have fully registered for this content, the organization should be harmonious and flexible in the regulations on implementing professional and overall content in the education plan of that class. We also suggest that the content be clarified here. We also monitor the feedback, timetables and request the school to work, and it is clear that there are many incorrect feedbacks here. We will ask the school to re-communicate these contents correctly, appropriately, and especially to communicate to parents. Make it clear to parents.

Another problem is that when the Department adjusts the starting and ending hours, we only adjust the administrative contents for the entire industry, we cannot adjust for one or two other cases. So in special cases, the principals of the schools must manage, adjust and resolve at that school, we cannot adjust all the parts for a few contents.

Mr. Minh also emphasized that the Department of Education and Training of Ho Chi Minh City will rectify the communication work of schools, requiring schools to read the documents carefully, and need to explain to parents clearly what these subjects are for and what they can learn. "Only then can we achieve high efficiency in the educational program and avoid the frustration of parents when their children participate in educational activities at school," Mr. Minh analyzed.

Chief of Office of Department of Education and Training of Ho Chi Minh City answers questions from Thanh Nien Newspaper reporters about voluntary subjects and joint subjects

PHOTO: NGUYEN ANH

Recently, Thanh Nien Newspaper published the articles Continued frustration over voluntary and joint subjects; Frustration over voluntary and joint subjects: Why are parents hesitant if they do not register?; Free tuition, but fees for voluntary and joint subjects make parents suffer', Voluntary subjects 'flood into schools because of the second session?...

Under the article about the frustration over voluntary and joint subjects, readers said they were happy that the whole country from kindergarten to high school is exempt from tuition fees, but the fees for "voluntary and joint subjects" are what really make parents suffer.

Reader My Toan shared: "Having just heard the news that students are exempted from tuition fees, the joy of parents did not last long. Today, the school added many associated subjects, parents have to pay more than the exempted tuition fees. Students have to study more subjects, the time is longer to leave on time, after 4:15 pm...".

Parent vu29049 exclaimed: "The main tuition is free, but the extracurricular subjects really make parents who are ordinary workers suffer"...

In addition, many parents in Ho Chi Minh City have reported that the school has not communicated clearly and transparently about voluntary and joint subjects, whether these are compulsory subjects according to the Ministry of Education and Training or not, what are the learning effects, or if they do not study, what activities will their children participate in instead... so they are forced to register their children to study while in reality they do not necessarily have the need or have limited financial conditions.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/so-gd-dt-tphcm-noi-gi-ve-cac-mon-tu-nguyen-mon-lien-ket-185250925150905538.htm