How has Ho Chi Minh City tightened extra teaching?

Since the Ministry of Education and Training issued Circular 17/2012 regulating extra teaching and learning, Ho Chi Minh City has had many guidelines for implementation. The City People's Committee has proposed many solutions, requiring the strengthening of inspection of regular teaching hours to prevent the situation of teaching insufficient knowledge, forcing students to take extra classes, and at the same time resolutely handling extra teaching that does not comply with regulations.

At the beginning of each school year, the Department of Education and Training always issues documents instructing school principals to remind teachers to seriously fulfill their teaching responsibilities for students and not to organize extra teaching and learning in violation of regulations. The Departments of Education and Training also regularly disseminate and manage, and organize regular teaching and learning to ensure the quality of teaching in schools.

The Department of Education and Training has repeatedly requested that there be absolutely no extra classes for students who study two shifts a day; no extra classes for elementary school students. Teachers must not pursue achievements, but must ensure the quality of students passing the next grade. Any teacher who forces students to take extra classes will be severely punished.

Most recently, when the Ministry of Education and Training issued Circular 29 regulating extra teaching and learning, Mr. Nguyen Van Hieu, Director of the Department of Education and Training of Ho Chi Minh City, directed heads of the Department of Education and Training of districts and principals to deploy the circular to teachers, students and parents. He also urged all officials and teachers of the city's education and training sector to strictly implement regulations on extra teaching and learning; have a plan to inspect and review; and resolutely not allow extra teaching and learning that does not comply with regulations inside and outside of schools.

training center.jpg
Thien Ngan Tutoring Center in Binh Hung Hoa A Ward was disciplined for providing extra teaching in violation of regulations. Photo: VD

In addition, Director Nguyen Van Hieu requested that the regular and periodic testing and assessment must be consistent with the 2018 general education program, not putting pressure on students to study more. However, it is absolutely necessary to not relax the organization of review and training for students with unsatisfactory learning results, and to organize for final year students to strengthen their review for entrance exams and graduation exams according to the school's education plan...

Departments of Education and Training guide and inspect extra teaching and learning activities in the area, thoroughly inform primary schools to absolutely not organize extra teaching for primary school students, and develop plans to implement the 2-session/day program in accordance with the requirements of the 2018 General Education Program.

District 12 is the first district in Ho Chi Minh City to establish a team to inspect tutoring activities in February 2025. Half a month later, the Department of Education and Training of Ho Chi Minh City announced to inspect tutoring and extra learning at more than 60 schools in 15 days. The Department directly inspected 16 high schools, 21 districts and Thu Duc City inspected 46 primary and secondary schools.

To manage extra teaching, the Department of Education and Training of Ho Chi Minh City has launched a website to publicly list extra teaching facilities and teachers across the city for parents and students to easily follow.

Extra teaching still infiltrates

Private tutoring still infiltrates schools and centers in various forms. In December 2024, the People's Committee of Binh Hung Hoa B Ward (Binh Tan) conducted a surprise inspection and discovered many unlicensed private tutoring locations. The delegation discovered a private tutoring location and rented out a private tutoring room owned by a teacher at Vinh Loc High School. The teacher had 3 private tutoring classes with about 50 students, including those she taught in her regular classes at the school. Several other teachers at Vinh Loc High School also taught their regular students there.

In mid-March 2025, the People's Committee of Binh Hung Hoa A (Binh Tan) inspected tutoring centers and extra-curricular learning facilities and also discovered many violations.

At the Ý Mỹ Tutoring Center, there are 2 rooms on the ground floor, in which in the small room there are 13 students from 3 primary schools: Binh Thuan, Phu Dong and Lac Hong, most of them studying Vietnamese and Math in grade 3. In the larger room there are 24 students studying Math, Vietnamese and English at the primary level.

Or at Thien Ngan Tutoring Center, at the time of inspection, there were 18 students (mostly students of Phu Dong Primary School), there was no commitment between parents and the facility. The center did not post tuition fees, timetables, or list of teachers according to Circular 29 of the Ministry of Education and Training...

extra teaching extra learning.jpg
Students in Ho Chi Minh City before a big exam. Photo: Nguyen Hue

Teachers who are found forcing students to take extra classes are severely punished. For example, a teacher named L, at NVL High School, was once "exposed" online for texting "suggesting" students to take extra chemistry classes. This teacher was then asked to stop teaching extra classes in violation of regulations and had his extra income of tens of millions of dong cut off for a quarter.

Using many measures to prevent rampant tutoring and extra learning, the authorities always identify tutoring and extra learning as a real, legitimate and respected need, creating conditions for parents to choose the method of tutoring their children want.

Sharing with VietnamNet , Ms. Le Thi Mai (District 10) whose child is in grade 11 said that her child is taking extra classes at a center near the school. The center is publicly registered and teaches extra classes, so parents can let their children come and study freely. Ms. Mai's child's daily schedule is to come home after school at 4:45 p.m., exercise, have dinner, and then cycle to the center for extra classes.

"If I study two subjects, it's from 5:45 p.m. to 8:45 p.m.; if I study one subject, it's from 7:45 p.m. to 8:45 p.m.," said Ms. Mai, adding that the cost for each extra subject at the center is only 800,000 VND/subject/month. Her child studies 4 subjects: Literature, Math, English, Chemistry, costing 3.2 million VND/month.

Ms. Bui Minh Phuong (Binh Thanh) chose to hire a teacher to tutor both of her children at home. Her first child studies 3 subjects: Math, Physics, Chemistry, from 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm every day. Her second child studies 4 subjects: Math, Physics, Chemistry, English, depending on the day, the class time fluctuates from 5:15 pm to 10 pm. Ms. Phuong revealed that the cost is 450,000 VND/2 hours, each month she spends 14-15 million VND on tutoring for her children.

Mr. Ho Tan Minh, Chief of Office of the Department of Education and Training of Ho Chi Minh City, said that currently the whole city has 1,300 tutoring centers with 3,300 registered teachers. However, everyone understands that this is an outstanding number, because in reality there are teachers who do not register. According to Mr. Minh, the Department is currently researching and consulting with departments, agencies, and experts on the ban on tutoring after 8:00 p.m. and will submit it to the City People's Committee.

“HCMC is a large city, with frequent traffic jams during rush hour. According to our calculations, after students finish school (around 4-5pm), they need time to comfortably travel home, eat, rest, and then go to the tutoring center if needed. However, it is appropriate for all these activities to end before 8pm,” said Mr. Minh.

Source: https://vietnamnet.vn/day-them-o-tphcm-van-ban-thi-cam-thuc-te-ra-sao-2390765.html