Ministry of Education and Training receives letter and photo of 'dinner where children don't have to go to extra classes' after Circular 29

On the morning of March 21, a working delegation of the Ministry of Education and Training led by Deputy Minister of Education and Training Pham Ngoc Thuong inspected the management of extra teaching and learning in Ho Chi Minh City.

Children do not take extra classes, parents send messages to thank the Ministry

Deputy Minister of Education and Training Pham Ngoc Thuong assessed that Ho Chi Minh City has many advantages in implementing this policy because it has good facilities and many schools organize two sessions per day. Moreover, the Ho Chi Minh City education sector has no stories about achievements, practical teaching, excellent student and national competitions are all organized objectively and equally, and teachers are devoted to students during regular teaching hours.

After more than 1 month of implementing Circular 29 on extra teaching and learning, the Ministry of Education and Training has received many thank you letters from parents and students. Some sent handwritten letters, some sent emails, and some parents even took photos and sent them with a caption of the first time the family gathered for dinner because their children did not have to go to extra classes.

Deputy Minister of Education and Training Pham Ngoc Thuong. (Photo: Huy Phuc)

According to Mr. Thuong, the management of extra teaching and learning is not a new story because since 1996, the Resolution of the 8th Central Committee has clearly stated the alarming situation of rampant extra teaching wasting students' time and money, affecting the comprehensive development of students and the relationship between teachers.

In recent times, there have been many documents to manage this issue, especially Circular 17. However, the rampant practice of extra teaching and learning has not decreased, showing signs of distortion, causing major consequences affecting the comprehensive development of students.

Many students are under pressure to study, leading to autism and self-harm. The most dangerous thing is that if students depend on teachers and have to take extra classes, they will gradually lose their ability to study and research on their own, and will forever be in their small safe zone. For teachers, if they only focus on extra classes, they will not have time to study and improve their expertise.

The Deputy Minister of Education and Training said that the Ministry's viewpoint is not to ban extra teaching and learning, but it must control rampant extra teaching and learning, and if there are violations, they will be handled.

“The reason why extra teaching and learning exist is because many public schools in big cities have too many students, up to 50. With such a number of students, teachers cannot pay attention to each student during regular class time. In addition, the quality and distance between schools are not uniform.

"The pressure of grades and parents' expectations of their children's academic performance also increase the need for extra classes. Inappropriate assessment and testing, test questions that are too difficult for students, poor coordination between family, society and school, and everything relying on the school have increased the pressure on teachers," said Mr. Thuong.

According to Mr. Thuong, the goal of education has changed. With the current program, teachers not only teach knowledge but also the method, which is important to inspire self-learning. "The happiness of a teacher is that in the shortest time, students do not have to depend on him," said Mr. Thuong.

5 no's and 4 do's

To effectively implement Circular 29, Mr. Thuong clearly stated "5 no's and 4 upholds". That is, in the process of implementing Circular 29, there must be no beating around the bush, no excuses, no compromises, no exceptions, no leniency; no distortions, no loopholes; no hesitation when faced with difficulties and complications; no additional costs.

In the process of implementing regulations on extra teaching, it is necessary to promote the role of managers at all levels, from department leaders, division leaders, principals, teachers, promote the self-esteem of teachers and managers, promote the spirit of autonomy, self-awareness, and self-study of students, and finally strengthen coordination between families, localities and society, and coordinate education.

“In particular, we must innovate assessment and test questions to be consistent with the curriculum. Students absolutely must not go to study centers to study the main curriculum. If the 10th grade entrance exam and graduation exam are too difficult, forcing students to study extra, it is a waste, meaning we have not completed our mission. The test questions must be appropriate for students and consistent with the curriculum,” Mr. Thuong emphasized.

Mr. Nguyen Bao Quoc, Deputy Director of the Department of Education and Training of Ho Chi Minh City, said that for many years, Ho Chi Minh City has stopped organizing extra teaching and learning in schools. Schools take the initiative in planning their teaching. When Circular 29 of the Ministry of Education and Training was issued, the Department advised the City People's Committee to issue documents and instructions on many implementation contents, resolutely not allowing extra teaching and learning in violation of regulations in schools, directing the creation of test questions not to put pressure on students, not to loosen the training and review for students but to determine that this is the responsibility of the schools.

In addition, the Department of Education and Training also directed schools to review educational plans, strengthen management of teaching and learning in two sessions per day, and assign teachers to support students, especially senior students. The Department of Education and Training has also established inspection teams for the management of extra teaching and learning in the area, and each district has proactively established inspection teams for extra teaching and learning.

(Source: Vietnamnet)

Link: https://vietnamnet.vn/bo-gd-dt-nhan-thu-anh-bua-com-toi-con-khong-phai-di-hoc-them-sau-thong-tu-29-2383108.html