Circular 29 on extra teaching and learning of the Ministry of Education and Training (MOET) officially taking effect from February 14, 2025 is receiving many mixed opinions. Especially for students in grade 9 preparing for the entrance exam to grade 10, they will have difficulty finding facilities to review and consolidate their knowledge.
Parents confused, students worried
That is the opinion of many parents whose children are studying in secondary schools across the country. Ms. Tran Lan Anh (Co Nhue Urban Area, Bac Tu Liem District, Hanoi) said that yesterday afternoon when she picked up her daughter from school, her daughter told her that her classmates were talking about the upcoming school break all afternoon.
“At that time, I was startled and asked carefully to find out that because some other schools in the area had announced the temporary suspension of afternoon classes, the children heard and discussed it even though their school had not announced anything. Currently, the whole class has extra classes in Math, Literature, Foreign Language, Natural Science, History and Geography in the afternoons from Monday to Thursday. On Friday afternoons, my child attends the English team at the same school, and has a break on Saturday afternoons. Now, if the rest of the time is taken, what will my child do?” – Ms. Lan Anh expressed her concern.
Sharing the same sentiment is Ms. My Duyen, whose child is studying in grade 9 at Van Quan Secondary School (Ha Dong, Hanoi). Right at the parent meeting at the end of the first semester, the school informed the parents about stopping extra classes at the school, making all the parents in the class very worried because there are only a few months left until the 10th grade entrance exam, if the school stops extra classes, how will the children learn?
“During regular school hours, children learn new lessons according to the program's distribution, there is almost no time to review and consolidate the knowledge they have learned, let alone study advanced subjects. Afternoon classes are the time for teachers and students to focus on reviewing important content and practicing skills, but now they are off. The class representative proposed to the homeroom teacher to write a voluntary application for teachers to continue teaching extra classes at school, helping children review and prepare for exams, but she said that she had to report to the school, and when there is a decision, she will report back to the parents,” said Ms. My Duyen.
Ms. Duyen added that since Tet, teachers have been assigning more homework for students to do during the afternoons off from school. However, not all students have the ability to study on their own or have discipline in terms of time because in the afternoon, parents still have to go to work and cannot manage or remind their children.
The solution that many families are looking for during this time is to find online courses and exam preparation centers in the area for their children to continue to improve their knowledge. However, there are many problems that need to be worried about, such as whether the class is suitable for their children or not? In this final stage, is it effective to suddenly change teachers - who are not the ones who have been following the children from the beginning? With online courses, although the teachers teach attractively, the lectures are lively, and students are proactive in choosing the knowledge they do not understand to study, the internet has many temptations, not all students can concentrate on studying without getting lost in games, movies, etc.
Teachers are worried.
According to Mr. Ho Tan Minh, Chief of Office of the Department of Education and Training of Ho Chi Minh City, Circular 29 stipulates that teachers at public schools are not allowed to participate in the management and operation of extra-curricular teaching outside of school but can participate in extra-curricular teaching outside of school. Teachers who need to teach extra-curricular teaching must register with a tutoring center. These centers must register their business and be licensed by the Department of Planning and Investment. According to the Law on Civil Servants, relatives of teachers such as spouses, parents, and children are also not allowed to register and open a tutoring center.
However, many teachers are concerned that if they register to teach outside the center, there will be disadvantages. For example, instead of teachers only teaching a small group of students who want to study advanced courses to consolidate knowledge, the center will be more crowded. Because they are not the main teachers teaching the students in class, it is difficult to grasp the learning ability of each student. Arranging a timetable to teach according to the center's schedule is also difficult for teachers...
Teacher Tran Trung Hieu, a teacher at Phan Boi Chau High School for the Gifted, Nghe An, raised a series of issues regarding the new regulation. That is, are there enough tutoring centers in all regions such as mountainous areas, rural areas, and even cities for students to study? If we compare the facilities, staff, programs, management, quality commitment, inspection, and testing of tutoring at schools and centers; is tutoring at schools or centers more reasonable and feasible?
This teacher also raised the issue of tuition fees for extra classes at centers and schools. In reality, do centers exempt tuition fees for students from poor households, those with difficult circumstances... like schools? Not to mention, in addition to tutoring their own students, responsibility, moral education, and student achievement are certainly among the things that teachers and schools are concerned about in order to take better care of them.
Besides, there are situations where parents work all day, work far away, work abroad... students do not have a place to go to school or do not have the conditions to go to school... how much of a headache is it for parents to manage their children at home?
Schools awaiting instructions
Circular No. 29/2024/TT-BGDDT on management of extra teaching and learning of the Ministry of Education and Training clearly states the cases where extra teaching and learning are not allowed in schools, including: not organizing extra teaching for primary school students, except for the following cases: training in arts, physical education and sports, and life skills training.
Teachers who are teaching at schools are not allowed to teach extra classes outside of school for money from students that the teacher is assigned to teach by the school according to the school's educational plan.
Along with that, the Circular stipulates 3 subjects who are allowed to teach extra classes in school without collecting money, including: students with unsatisfactory academic results, students selected for training excellent students, students reviewing for the final year, and for any subject, the extra classes must not exceed 2 periods/week.
So, with students reviewing for the final year, they are actually included in the group of subjects for extra teaching and learning in the school, but if they do not collect money, where will the school get the money to pay teachers? For a long time, many localities have issued resolutions on the collection level for this activity, commonly around 3,500-6,000 VND per lesson. Of which, a part of the tuition fee will be paid to the teachers directly teaching, the rest will be used to pay for electricity and water, depreciation of facilities, and put into the reward fund, welfare for teachers and students on holidays, Tet, visiting the sick... depending on the regulations of each school.
Because the Ministry of Education and Training and the Departments of Education and Training have not yet provided specific guidance on the use of the budget to pay for extra tutoring activities, schools do not know how to manage. As for paying teachers to tutor students who have not yet achieved their grades and excellent students, many schools organize it for free and also have to "manage" many ways to have funds to support teachers. However, reviewing final exams for a large number of students and implementing it over a long period of time, schools find it difficult to arrange satisfactorily.
Right in Hanoi, Mr. Nguyen Nhu Tung, Deputy Head of the Department of Education and Training of Ba Dinh District, said that currently, schools in Ba Dinh District are still studying normally until February 14 - when Circular 29 takes effect. Of which, primary school students study in the afternoon according to the 2018 general education program, grade 9 students review for grade 10 exams and some schools organize boarding schools.
"We are still waiting for specific instructions from the City People's Committee and the District People's Committee to issue further documents to schools," said Mr. Tung.
Voluntary extra classes are not allowed to be charged.
At the 42nd session of the National Assembly Standing Committee, when giving opinions on a number of major issues regarding the reception, explanation, and revision of the Draft Law on Teachers, on the morning of February 7, Head of the Delegation Work Committee Nguyen Thanh Hai proposed to more clearly define the contents related to the act of forcing students to participate in extra classes in any form, forcing students to pay money and material items beyond the provisions of law.
Ms. Hai questioned the prohibited act of forcing students to participate in extra classes, but if students voluntarily participate, it is still allowed, right? To thoroughly resolve the situation of disguised extra classes, Ms. Hai said that it is necessary to clearly stipulate that "voluntary but also not allowed to collect money".
If students want to learn more, they can go to the centers and teachers can register to teach there. Then they can fulfill their financial obligations and students can also choose equally at the centers.
Source: https://daidoanket.vn/day-them-hoc-them-muon-noi-ban-khoan-10299593.html
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