Secondary and high schools are not allowed to teach more than 7 periods/day.

According to new guidelines announced by the Ministry of Education and Training on August 5, the organization of two-session teaching per day will be implemented according to a specific roadmap, not immediately mandatory for secondary and high school levels. This regulation aims to improve the quality of formal education and limit the situation of illegal extra teaching and learning.

For primary school, teaching two sessions per day is mandatory, with a duration of no more than 7 periods/day and a minimum of 9 sessions/week (equivalent to 32 periods). Each class period is 35 minutes. This regulation remains unchanged from the present.

Middle and high school students will study a maximum of 7 periods per day (reduced by 1 period for high school) and no more than 5.5 days per week (reduced by 0.5 days). The duration of a period is 45 minutes.

Organizing two sessions of teaching per day will be carried out according to the roadmap. (Illustration photo)

The content of the second lesson will be flexibly designed by schools, focusing on activities to develop students' abilities and qualities.

Core subjects will be taught in the morning. The afternoon will be devoted to activities in culture, arts, STEM, STEAM, reading culture, life skills, digital literacy, foreign languages and sports , meeting the diverse interests and talents of students.

The Ministry encourages high schools to cooperate with universities, vocational training institutions and businesses to enrich the content of the second lesson. Teaching methods are also flexible, including group work, self-study guidance, or a combination of in-class and extracurricular activities at the library and multi-purpose hall.

To effectively implement, the Ministry of Education and Training requires localities and schools to ensure the structure and number of teachers, allocate budgets, and invest in facilities such as multi-purpose halls and libraries. In addition, schools must survey student needs before the start of the school year and publicize plans and schedules for the second session to avoid pressure.