Ending extra teaching and learning becomes an order: Parents still argue fiercely

On social networking forums, many people share their views on the "hot" issue, closely related to every family with children of school age, which is extra tutoring.

A parent said that the new regulation limits the number of cases of extra classes in schools to three, so students are being pushed to centers. Families have to pay double the tuition compared to before, when they could study with their own teachers at home, so parents are at a disadvantage.

“Each lesson is 45 minutes long, students cannot fully understand the lesson while the family still wants their children to study math in depth and other subjects, there is no other way but to send them to the teacher for extra lessons,” said this parent.

After nearly 2 months of implementing Circular 29, parents still have different opinions about extra classes.

Some parents also believe that if you want to be good, you have to study and study more, and that is a need that should not be banned. Parents really want to closely accompany their children, but not every family has the conditions in terms of time, qualifications, and methods.

Parents sitting at the table with their children for 15 minutes has turned into a tearful "war". It is also very difficult to let children study by themselves because between studying and playing, children will choose to play or do not know how to study effectively. Therefore, for a long time, parents have had the mentality of "relying on teachers for everything" for that reason.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Nga, a parent in Hanoi, said that as long as exams are difficult and competition for admission to schools is fierce, extra classes will still exist. All parents want their children to go to good schools and have good teachers. Therefore, instead of "banning" extra classes, the education sector needs to innovate assessment, exams, and universalize high school education. If there is no longer a shortage of public schools, there will be no more extra classes.

"At that time, only students who really wanted to get into big universities would take extra classes. Currently, 10th grade admission in Hanoi and some big cities is still more competitive than university; those who take the entrance exam for 6th grade at high-quality schools or gifted schools will still have to take extra classes."

Besides, many parents are also happy and support Circular 29 of the Ministry of Education and Training because it has regulations on managing extra teaching and learning both inside and outside of school.

According to a parent, “banning” extra classes is the right policy of the Ministry of Education and Training and if the sector and localities implement it seriously, it can eliminate the problem of “forcing” students to take extra classes that has been rampant for a long time. Parents hope that the Ministry of Education and Training and the Department of Education and Training will have a hotline for people to report because with the regulations put in place, in reality there will be people and places that find ways to circumvent the law and change things. Students still have to go to extra classes with teachers at school but they switch teachers and charge higher fees than before.

Hope for enough schools and classes, reduce class size

Many parents believe that in reality, many places lack schools, classes, and teachers, leading to high student numbers per class. Classes with more than 40 students and learning English as it is now in public schools are ineffective. Therefore, although not desirable, parents are still having to find teachers, find classes, and spend money for their children to take extra classes to equip themselves with foreign language skills.

Regarding effective solutions to strengthen the management of extra teaching and learning, there are opinions that the Ministry of Education and Training and localities should drastically strengthen facilities and schools to ensure the number of students per class is 35 for primary schools and 40 for secondary schools. Special subjects such as Information Technology, Fine Arts, and Foreign Languages ​​need to ensure enough functional classrooms and a reasonable division of the number of students per class to ensure effective learning.

Reduce the pressure on teachers to achieve so that the team and schools do not put too much emphasis on scores. Currently, in primary schools, students are still given scores of 9 and 10, but those scores do not truly reflect the students' abilities.

In addition, the education sector also needs to have a solution to the problem of difficult tests and exams that exceed students' abilities. Many students and parents have reported that during the learning process, teachers still set difficult tests, and many students were "shocked" because they got below average scores. Basically, the test questions will influence the teaching methods in general schools as well as extra classes. Therefore, the goal and orientation of the 2018 General Education Program is to develop students' abilities, so the test requirements are also in that direction.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Tuyet, a primary school teacher in Ha Tinh, said that although she has been teaching for nearly 20 years, she has never taught extra classes. Students now study two sessions a day, so teachers and students have enough time to impart knowledge, create creative teaching methods, and complete homework so that they do not need to study extra classes to meet the requirements.

Ms. Tuyet also disagrees with the situation where 5-year-old preschoolers have to go to pre-primary school and 1st and 2nd graders study all day at school, and in the evenings and on weekends, they still go to their teachers' houses to study extra.

At a recent meeting, Deputy Minister of Education and Training Pham Ngoc Thuong emphasized that the Ministry of Education and Training does not encourage extra learning and teaching by any means.

The Ministry of Education and Training has a channel to receive and reflect, including receiving petitions from parents about the disguised forms of extra classes and tutoring, and reporting, verifying, and handling them. Ending extra classes and tutoring is no longer a command, but must become a command of the entire industry for the sake of student quality. A command to educate students to develop comprehensively, a command to implement the 2018 General Education Program, according to the direction of the Party, the State, and the Central Committee, bringing education back to its original principles, giving back childhood to students.

Ha Linh

Source: https://tienphong.vn/cham-dut-day-them-hoc-them-tro-thanh-menh-lenh-phu-huynh-van-tranh-cai-gay-gat-post1730353.tpo