(kontumtv.vn) – On the afternoon of April 6, at the regular Government press conference, Permanent Deputy Minister of Education and Training Pham Ngoc Thuong discussed information about the proposal that "junior high school and high school students will study 2 sessions/day".

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Deputy Minister of Education and Training Pham Ngoc Thuong answers questions from reporters from press agencies. Photo: Minh Duc/VNA

In response to proposals that high school students will study two sessions a day, Deputy Minister Pham Ngoc Thuong affirmed: “Up to this point, the Ministry of Education and Training has not had a mandatory policy. Organizing the second session must be voluntary and based on the specific conditions of each place.”

The Ministry of Education and Training is reviewing the entire two-session/day teaching model, with plans to issue new guidelines to replace the old regulations that have existed since 2010. “We are reviewing and will have new, more appropriate guidelines, ensuring quality, reducing pressure, developing comprehensively and meeting the actual needs of students and parents,” said the Deputy Minister.

In the context of education needing to adapt to rapid changes in society and technology, studying 2 sessions/day, if done correctly, can be an opportunity for students to develop their personal capacity more deeply. But if done incorrectly, at the wrong time, it will only create more burdens - the Deputy Minister analyzed.

Must meet the conditions

According to Deputy Minister Pham Ngoc Thuong, studying 2 sessions/day is not a new activity in education. In many countries around the world, when conditions are right, they organize 2 sessions/day.

Vietnam also has similar conditions, especially for primary school age, 2 sessions/day have been organized for a long time. In particular, the 2018 general education program clearly stipulates that 2 sessions/day are mandatory at the primary level; at the secondary and high school levels, the program is designed to teach 1 session/day. From reality, it shows that teaching 2 sessions/day is much more convenient for primary school students. Young children study semi-boarding and have a very suitable curriculum.

The Deputy Minister added that since 2010, the Ministry has had guidelines for teaching 2 sessions/day in high schools and middle schools in the direction that wherever conditions permit, it should be encouraged. "To organize teaching 2 sessions/day well, at least 3 conditions must be met: facilities, enough teachers and a program suitable for the psychology of the age group" - the Deputy Minister said.

In fact, many high schools today still lack classrooms, toilets, and playgrounds. Teachers are overloaded, and classes have to rotate in shifts. Meanwhile, the second class in many places is just a form of tutoring or reviewing morning knowledge, making students tired, parents worried, and teachers stressed.

The core spirit of the new education program is to develop students comprehensively, from knowledge, skills, to physical fitness and life values. “The second lesson is not just for learning more knowledge. It must be a time for students to practice physical fitness, develop skills, access technology, learn foreign languages…”, the Deputy Minister shared.

The Ministry of Education and Training's viewpoint is still to improve the quality of learning, ensuring to reduce pressure on children while still ensuring effectiveness. The Ministry also wants students to develop comprehensive qualities and abilities in terms of physical and mental health, and to develop skills in digital citizenship, foreign languages, and artificial intelligence, not simply learning general knowledge.

The representative of the Ministry of Education and Training affirmed that the plan to implement two-session schooling per day must be based on the voluntary spirit of students and their parents. Because when they reach middle school and high school, students already have their own needs and career orientation has begun to form.

Xuan Tung (Vietnam News Agency)