Regulations on extra teaching and learning have just been tightened by the Ministry of Education and Training, many parents breathe a sigh of relief because the burden of extra tuition fees for their children is reduced, meanwhile, many teachers "cry out" because they have lost a large source of income.
The Ministry of Education and Training has just issued Circular No. 29/2024/TT-BGDDT regulating extra teaching and learning. Accordingly, extra teaching is not organized for primary school students, teachers who are teaching at schools are not allowed to teach extra classes outside of school with fees from students for students that the teacher is assigned by the school to teach according to the school's education plan. Organizations and individuals who organize extra teaching and learning outside of school with fees from students must register their business to be subject to management according to the provisions of the Enterprise Law.
Parents agree: "Reduce learning pressure for children"
A group of parents strongly support this regulation, saying that banning extra tutoring will help reduce the academic pressure on students, which in turn will reduce the financial burden on families.
With the information that the Ministry of Education and Training has just regulated that no extra classes will be held for primary school students, Ms. Minh Anh (Thanh Xuan district, Hanoi) feels less pressured. Ms. Minh Anh is a single mother, raising 2 children, one in grade 3, one in grade 5. Her income is only over ten million VND per month, but the tuition for her 2 children has "devoured" almost all of her salary.
According to the newly issued circular, no extra classes will be organized for primary school students. Illustrative photo
“My third grader is a good student, every night I spend time with him to study and teach him advanced knowledge. However, I still have to send him to extra classes with his homeroom teacher. Last year, because of financial constraints, I was one of the few parents who did not send my child to extra classes. And at the end of the year, I clearly saw the “consequences”. Therefore, even though I really did not want to send my child to extra classes because I saw it as unnecessary, I still had to send him to extra classes.
My child studies 2 evenings a week, after school, 150,000 VND/session. In total, the tuition fee for the homeroom teacher alone costs at least 1,200,000 VND per month. My eldest son also has to study with the teachers in his class, both at school and outside, the amount is several times that. For me, extra classes are an amount of money that I have to spend even though I don't see any results," said Ms. Minh Anh.
Therefore, when the Ministry of Education and Training announced that it would ban extra classes for primary school students and prohibit teachers from tutoring their students outside of school, Ms. Minh Anh was very supportive. "Reducing the tuition fees for my two children has also reduced my financial burden by more than half," Ms. Minh Anh said excitedly.
Not under the same economic pressure as Ms. Minh Anh, Ms. Dang Hoai Thu (Dong Da District, Hanoi) also agrees with the ban on extra tutoring for primary school students. “Primary school children need to play and explore the world around them instead of just focusing on books. Children study all day at school and are very tired, and at night they have to go to extra classes. The children work hard, and their parents are also exhausted from taking them to and from school. Although they think that extra tutoring in primary school is unnecessary, many parents are forced to let their children attend extra tutoring because they are afraid that their children will not receive the attention of the teacher.”
Teachers "cry out" because of loss of large source of income
Contrary to support from some parents, many teachers said that this regulation creates more difficulties for them.
According to regulations, teachers are not allowed to tutor their students outside of school. Illustration photo: T.Huong
Ms. Tran TH, a teacher at a primary school in Nam Dinh, said that if students are weak, parents will still look for extra classes outside. Banning teachers from giving extra classes will only push parents to private centers where the quality of teaching is not guaranteed, while teachers lose a legitimate source of income.
“The Ministry of Education and Training needs to recognize the reality that the need for extra classes is real. Not all students have good awareness and focus on studying. Parents want their children to have a solid grasp of knowledge and send them to extra classes. If the teachers at school teach well, parents will voluntarily and willingly send their children to extra classes, rather than struggling to find another place for their children to study without knowing the quality of teaching,” Ms. Tran TH shared.
Faced with the tightening of teachers' extra teaching, Ms. Nguyen PL (a teacher at a secondary school in Dong Da District, Hanoi) is worried that the Pedagogy sector will not be able to attract talented people. "With the ban on extra teaching as the Ministry of Education and Training has just stipulated, in reality, teachers only rely on state salaries and professional allowances, so their income is quite low. Thus, the Pedagogy sector will not be able to attract talented people," Ms. PL worries.
In addition, requiring teachers who teach extra classes outside of school to register their business is also controversial. Some opinions say that this is a regulation that is not suitable for the nature of teachers' jobs. Extra classes are meant to supplement knowledge, not a pure form of business.
The ban on private tutoring is a strong move by the Ministry of Education and Training to rectify the widespread situation of private tutoring and reduce pressure on students. However, to be truly effective, there needs to be a coordinated solution that listens to the opinions of teachers, parents and other stakeholders.
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