The tutoring market is booming, with many centers refusing to accept more students.

Circular 29, effective from February 14, 2025, strictly prohibits tutoring within schools, prohibits tutoring for primary school students, and prohibits teachers from tutoring their own students... However, in reality, the tutoring market is thriving.

Tutors are in high demand.

According to a survey by PNVN newspaper, many schools have now stopped offering extra classes, especially for students in their final year. This has caused much anxiety among parents, who are scrambling to find new tutoring options for their children as entrance exams and high school graduation exams approach.

With two children attending junior high school, one of whom is in 9th grade, Ms. Nguyen Ngan (Chua Lang Street, Dong Da District, Hanoi ) has to spend a considerable amount of money on extra tutoring for her children.

"My daughter is in 9th grade and preparing for her entrance exam, so she's taking a lot of extra classes. Besides the extra classes at school, I've hired two tutors for her. One tutor teaches Math at 180,000 VND per session, and the other teaches English at 300,000 VND per session. Now that the extra classes at school have stopped, I'm looking for an additional tutor for Literature for her. For many years, the entrance exam for public high schools in Hanoi has been fiercely competitive, so when schools stopped offering extra classes, parents immediately started looking for tutoring options for their children, because most parents want their children to get into a good public school," Ms. Ngan shared.

One-on-one online tutoring is currently a popular choice for many parents. (Illustrative image)

Not only parents in Hanoi, but also parents with children preparing for entrance exams to higher grades in other localities are anxiously searching for tutoring options for their children now that schools are banned from offering extra classes. Ms. Nguyen Thi Diu (35 years old, residing in Ho Nam ward, Le Chan district, Hai Phong ) said that previously, in addition to classroom learning, on Saturday evenings, she would send her child to extra math classes at the homeroom teacher's house. Six other students also attended these classes with Ms. Diu's child.

However, at the end of 2024, Ms. Dịu received a notification from her son's homeroom teacher that the extra classes would be discontinued. "The suspension of the extra classes has left my husband and me very confused about how to plan our son's studies," Ms. Dịu shared.

To ensure her child's studies weren't interrupted, after the Lunar New Year, Ms. Dịu had to ask acquaintances to recommend reputable tutoring centers for her child to attend. "Previously, we had to spend 70,000 VND per session for tutoring, but now my husband and I have to spend double that amount (150,000 VND per session) for our child to attend these centers, and we're not sure what the results will be. The entrance exam for 10th grade is very competitive; without supplementary knowledge, I think my child won't be able to get into a public school," Ms. Dịu added.

Facing a similar situation when the school announced the suspension of extra classes, Ms. Pham Tuyet Mai's family (38 years old, residing in Phuong Canh ward, Nam Tu Liem district, Hanoi) chose to enroll their son in one-on-one online tutoring at a cost of 200,000 VND per session. Although online learning has many limitations, according to Ms. Mai, this is the most feasible option her family can adopt at this time. However, with tuition fees ranging from 150,000 to 300,000 VND per session, it's a considerable amount that not every family can afford.

According to this parent, upon learning that extra classes at the school would no longer be allowed to charge fees, and that the school lacked the funds to operate them and therefore had to stop according to regulations, many parents suggested providing financial support to help teachers continue teaching. However, the school could not agree for fear of violating regulations.

Enrolling children in small groups with private tutors is also a popular option among many parents today. (Illustrative image)

For many years, Ms. Hoang Hong Hanh, a graduate of the University of Foreign Languages ​​- Vietnam National University, Hanoi (residing in Nam Tu Liem District, Hanoi), has been running tutoring classes at her home, attracting quite a few students at a fee of 100,000 VND per session. Her more than 20 students are diverse, including elementary, middle, and even high school students (some of whom have been studying with her since first grade).

"During this time, many parents have come to me asking for extra classes for their children, including elementary and middle school students, but I only teach a few students per group to ensure the most effective learning for them, so I can't accept any more new students," Ms. Hanh shared.

The test preparation center is fully booked.

Circular 29 on supplementary tutoring has had a significant impact on the operations of exam preparation centers. Nguyen Khuc Truong, manager of an exam preparation center in Nam Tu Liem district (Hanoi), said that since the end of 2024, the number of parents inquiring about and registering their children for final-year classes has increased significantly compared to previous years.

"At the center I manage, all the exam preparation classes for 9th and 12th graders are currently full. Many parents have come to inquire, but the center has had to announce that it is no longer accepting new students," Mr. Truong shared.

Tutoring centers are more active now that schools are banned from offering extra classes. (Illustrative image)

The manager of this tutoring center also said that the center is currently organizing 3 tutoring classes for 9th-grade students and 2 classes for 12th-grade students, with 8-10 students per class. In addition to in-person classes, the center also advises parents who come to inquire about online learning, but the number of students enrolled in this format is not large.

Another tutoring center located in Minh Khai ward (Bac Tu Liem district, Hanoi) also stated that all tutoring classes for 9th and 12th grade students are already full. Staff at this center also offered online tutoring or one-on-one home tutoring at prices ranging from 160,000 to 300,000 VND per session.

In reality, banning extracurricular tutoring within schools hasn't truly reduced the need for such services; instead, it has only shifted the market to a different model with higher fees and less regulation. To thoroughly address this issue, a comprehensive set of solutions is needed to prevent extracurricular tutoring from continuing its "distorted" nature.

* To be continued

Source: https://phunuvietnam.vn/thi-truong-day-them-soi-dong-nhieu-co-so-tu-choi-nhan-them-nguoi-hoc-20250212183857477.htm