Does Circular 29 of the Ministry of Education and Training regulating extra teaching and learning affect the teaching of 2 sessions/day in primary schools? That is the question of some Thanh Nien Online readers.
Commenting on articles on Thanh Nien Online , some parents are worried that from February 14, 2025, Circular 29 of the Ministry of Education and Training regulating extra teaching and learning officially takes effect, their children who are studying 2 sessions/day in primary school will be affected, they may have to pick up their children at noon, and will no longer be able to study in the morning and afternoon at school, and if parents have to go to work, who will pick up and look after their children. This concern comes from the fact that parents think that primary school students who study 2 sessions/day at school are having "extra teaching and learning" subjects to collect money.
This thinking is incorrect. Thanh Nien Online would like to provide some more information for readers to understand better.
Primary school students study 2 sessions/day is a regulation of the 2018 General Education Program.
PHOTO: DAO NGOC THACH
What does the 2018 general education program stipulate about teaching 2 sessions/day at primary level?
At the primary level, according to the 2018 General Education Program, issued with the Circular promulgating the General Education Program of the Ministry of Education and Training (from the 2024-2025 school year, the 2018 General Education Program will be applied from grades 1 to 12), at the primary level, compulsory subjects and educational activities include: Vietnamese; math; ethics; foreign language 1 (in grades 3, 4, 5); nature and society (in grades 1, 2, 3); history and geography (in grades 4, 5); science (in grades 4, 5); information technology and technology (in grades 3, 4, 5); physical education; arts (music, fine arts); experiential activities.
Elective subjects include: ethnic minority languages, foreign language 1 (in grades 1 and 2).
Regarding the duration of education at the primary level, the 2018 General Education Program clearly stipulates: "Teaching 2 sessions/day, each day arranging no more than 7 periods; each period is 35 minutes. Educational institutions that do not have the conditions to organize 2 sessions/day must implement the education plan according to the instructions of the Ministry of Education and Training".
There is no longer the concept of main and extracurricular activities in the 2 sessions/day of primary school.
From the beginning of the 2024-2025 school year, in response to the press, a leader of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Education and Training emphasized that from the 2024-2025 school year, the regulation on teaching 2 sessions/day according to the 2018 General Education Program at the entire primary level, so there is no longer the concept of formal and extracurricular activities within the duration of 2 sessions/day.
This person said that according to the regulations of the Ministry of Education and Training, when implementing the 2018 General Education Program at the primary level, 100% of students will study 2 sessions/day to practice and develop their qualities and abilities according to the goals set out in the program. Therefore, primary schools must organize 2 sessions/day. The concept of session 1, session 2, the view that the morning is the main curriculum, the afternoon is the extracurricular program according to the 2006 General Education Program is no longer appropriate.
According to the leader of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Education and Training, at the primary level, the school program is part of the 2-session/day teaching plan of each school. The school program complements and goes hand in hand with the implementation of the 2018 General Education Program, and cannot be separated if we want to best achieve the goals of the 2018 General Education Program. The participation of primary school students in the school program is the right of each student, helping them to form and develop their qualities and abilities, equipping them with the most necessary skills in information technology, foreign languages, life skills, etc. to not only meet the learning needs at the primary level but also at the next levels of education.
Primary school students in a traditional New Year experience activity
The primary school curriculum for the 2024-2025 school year in Ho Chi Minh City includes: foreign language teaching (enhanced foreign language, teaching communication with foreigners; teaching foreign languages through math and science); STEM education; life skills training and other types of extracurricular educational activities; organizing enhanced computer teaching activities according to international standards and digital citizenship skills education.
The school program will be designed with different characteristics, suitable for the characteristics of the school. Schools are proactive in building timetables, can include educational content of the school program in the morning or afternoon, must ensure the regulations on the number of periods/day, not causing overload for students and teachers.
When developing a plan to organize the school program, the principal must fully inform and publicize it to parents right from the beginning of the school year so that parents understand and agree.
Ho Chi Minh City applies many solutions to increase the rate of students attending 2 sessions/day.
According to the report of the Department of Education and Training of Ho Chi Minh City, by the end of the first semester of the 2024-2025 school year, Ho Chi Minh City has 556 primary schools. The average number of students per class is 36.1. All schools ensure the content and number of prescribed periods when teaching 2 sessions/day according to the education plan in the 2018 General Education Program for primary schools. However, the number of classes that ensure enough time for 2 sessions/day is 84%. The number of primary school students ensuring enough time for 2 sessions/day is 81%.
100% of District 1 students are guaranteed to study 2 sessions/day
PHOTO: DAO NGOC THACH
Units with 100% of students ensuring enough time for 2 sessions/day include: District 1, District 3, District 4, District 5, District 6, District 7, District 8, District 10, District 11, Binh Thanh District, Tan Binh District, Phu Nhuan District, Hoc Mon District, Nha Be District, Can Gio District.
To continue increasing the proportion of primary school students attending two sessions per day and effectively completing the 2018 General Education Program, the leader of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Education and Training said that the city is developing a project for 4,500 new classrooms. The Departments of Education and Training advise the People's Committees of districts to speed up the construction of schools and classrooms, and advise on solutions to effectively implement the policy of socializing education and developing the non-public school system in the near future.
By the end of the first semester of the 2024-2025 school year, in units that do not have the conditions to organize 2 sessions/day, localities have flexibly implemented solutions. Such as being flexible in arranging timetables to maximize the capacity of classrooms, ensuring the organization and implementation of school programs in accordance with regulations and instructions; organizing online teaching for some periods in some classes (Go Vap district has implemented).
Or depending on actual conditions, schools arrange for students to study in the afternoon or on Saturdays to ensure the implementation of subjects according to the 2018 General Education Program, the project to improve English and IT skills according to international standards and other educational activities for comprehensive development, according to students' needs (already implemented in District 12).
Thus, the implementation of teaching 2 sessions/day, each day arranged no more than 7 periods; each period 35 minutes in primary school is a mandatory regulation, included in the General Education Program 2018. This teaching implementation is not affected by Circular 29 of the Ministry of Education and Training - regulations on extra teaching and learning.
Source: https://thanhnien.vn/hoc-2-buoi-ngay-tieu-hoc-co-anh-huong-boi-thong-tu-day-them-hoc-them-khong-185250212110611761.htm
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