Teaching 2 sessions/day: 'How to design so that students don't have to take extra classes but still pass the exam'

Regarding the information about implementing 2 sessions/day teaching for middle and high school students, Deputy Minister of Education and Training Pham Ngoc Thuong said that the Ministry has not made an official statement on this issue.

Besides, studying 2 sessions/day is not a new activity in education. In many countries around the world, when conditions are met, they organize 2 sessions/day. Vietnam will also implement it when the necessary conditions are met.

Many opinions are concerned about organizing 2 sessions/day for middle and high school students (Illustration photo)

Deputy Minister Pham Ngoc Thuong emphasized that the Ministry of Education and Training is directing surveys and research, and has not yet announced that secondary and high schools must study two sessions. In addition, schools with conditions should organize it but must ensure the requirements and goals stated. The Ministry of Education and Training will soon have documents guiding and directing to suit reality.

Regarding the organization of teaching 2 sessions/week for middle and high school students, Ms. Nguyen Minh Thuy (Hoang Mai, Hanoi) whose child is in 8th grade said that middle school students should not study 2 sessions/day, the remaining time should be left for students to self-study and develop focused on personal orientation.

Ms. Thuy said that before Circular 29 on extra teaching and learning took effect, in addition to regular school hours, her daughter still had to take extra classes at school, then still had to take extra classes and study on her own, with almost no time to rest.

“Studying 2 sessions/day will be really meaningful and effective if children only need to study at school to have enough knowledge and skills to meet important exams to move up the level. But if we increase the number of sessions/day to 2 sessions/day, but children still have to continue to study outside to be able to take the exam to move up the level, it is not advisable. The problem is how to design a 2-session/day program to be truly effective,” Ms. Thuy wondered.

Mr. Nguyen Van Cuong (Cau Giay, Hanoi) has 2 children studying at secondary school, he thinks that if studying 2 sessions/day combined with boarding meals at school will reduce the burden for parents in picking up and managing their children. However, how will the program of 1 additional session be designed, will it return to the form of disguised extra classes, compulsory for all students or not is the issue that Mr. Cuong is concerned about.

The principal of a secondary school in Hanoi said that studying 2 sessions/day if following the regulations would be very good, in the second session the schools let students learn skills, take extra classes, and also have many activities to help students self-study and practice necessary skills. However, this is not easy in the context of many places lacking schools, teachers...

“Currently, in densely populated districts like Hoang Mai (Hanoi), there are still overloaded schools that have to take turns to close, so arranging facilities and classrooms is not easy. Besides, to teach 2 sessions/day, it is also necessary to meet the requirements of the teaching staff. If there are not enough teachers, the problem of teaching extra periods will arise, not only in terms of finance and expenses for paying overtime, but also in terms of ensuring teachers' health, avoiding overload and pressure,” he said.

Mr. Thai Van Tai, Director of the General Education Department (Ministry of Education and Training), said that organizing the second session of teaching in secondary and high schools is not for extra classes. The "aiming" is understood in the sense that wherever there are conditions, the facilities invested by the state must be effectively exploited to their full capacity. Schools with sufficient facilities should be open all day so that students can study on their own, avoiding the situation where the school closes in the afternoon and students have to run around looking for a place to study extra.

Deputy Minister of Education and Training Pham Ngoc Thuong said that according to the 2018 General Education Program, it is mandatory to teach 2 sessions/day for primary school students, while junior high and high school students are designed to teach 1 session/day. Currently, the number of junior high and high schools teaching 2 sessions/day has increased significantly compared to 5-10 years ago. However, there are still some shortcomings such as the second session in some places teaches cultural knowledge, mainly learning knowledge rather than skills, and this puts pressure on students.

Therefore, the Ministry of Education and Training will review and re-evaluate this activity. In the coming time, the Ministry will have general national guidelines for implementation at each level of education with the view of improving the quality of formal education, reducing learning pressure for students while still ensuring effectiveness.

Because the educational goals of all levels are for students to develop comprehensively, not only learning knowledge but also developing their spirit, physical strength, sports, digital citizenship skills, AI applications, foreign languages, information technology... suitable for their age psychology.

The Ministry of Education and Training is directing surveys and research, and has not yet announced that secondary and high schools must study two sessions. In addition, schools with the conditions should organize it, but must ensure the requirements and goals stated. The Ministry will soon have a document guiding and directing to suit the reality.

Nguyen Trang (VOV)

Link: https://vov.vn/xa-hoi/hoc-2-buoingay-thiet-ke-the-nao-de-hoc-sinh-khong-phai-hoc-them-van-thi-duoc-post1190815.vov

Source: https://vtcnews.vn/hoc-2-buoi-ngay-thiet-ke-the-nao-de-hoc-sinh-khong-phai-hoc-them-van-thi-duoc-ar936748.html