Don't beat the drum and throw away the stick

The birth of Circular 29 (Ministry of Education and Training) gives the education sector more tools to rectify the problem of extra study and extra teaching. However, public opinion still raises the question of how to truly solve the problem of extra study and extra teaching at the root, avoiding the situation of "beating the drum and abandoning the stick".

Grade 12 students of Van Ban District High School No. 1 (Lao Cai) urgently review for the High School Graduation Exam. Photo: Quoc Khanh/VNA

Circular 29 of the Ministry of Education and Training (effective from February 14, 2025) on the management of extra teaching and learning is like a "strong medicine" that has immediately been effective in tightening the situation of extra teaching and learning that has been rampant for a long time. That "strong medicine" is recognized by those working in management, education experts, schools, teachers and even parents because there are very strict and clear regulations on "principles" in the management of extra teaching and learning.

Accordingly, no extra classes are organized for primary school students. Teachers are not allowed to teach extra classes outside of school and collect money from students they are teaching in school. Public school teachers are not allowed to participate in the management and operation of extra classes outside of school. Extra classes in school are not allowed to collect money from students...

These regulations aim to ensure objectivity and prevent negative seeds from teachers such as "planting and zoning" exam questions during teaching or not teaching all knowledge, teaching the curriculum in class during regular hours; students are less "pressured" because they are afraid of getting bad grades if they do not attend extra classes, and parents are not forced to send their children to extra classes because they are "afraid" of being "noticed and cursed" by teachers.

This regulation immediately caused many schools to stop offering extra classes at school; centers - especially those that used to be organized by a school's teaching staff (usually teachers of the same class taught the same class in the extra class) - stopped operating. Teachers who had previously taught extra classes at home also "adjusted" their extra teaching.

Thus, Circular 29 is considered to have “power” in managing and rectifying extra teaching and learning activities. At the information meeting after one month of implementing Circular 29, the Ministry of Education and Training also stated that the Circular has had a positive impact on the awareness and actions of managers, teachers, students and parents.

But here and there, extra teaching and learning have changed. The suspension of the center or individual teacher is only temporary to "hear and see" or find ways to arrange and reorganize extra teaching and learning appropriately, so as not to violate regulations. Some centers have organized extra teaching and learning again after adjusting and arranging for teachers to teach other classes instead of teaching their own students as before. In order for the new teachers to "match" the teaching style of the regular teachers, the teachers also "exchange" topics and teaching methods so that students are not "bewildered" and parents can rest assured. In some places, there is also a phenomenon of teachers teaching extra classes at home under the name of tutoring without charging, with a commitment to teach for free between teachers and parents, but in reality, parents still contribute money to teachers in the form of so-called "compensation" for teachers.

Public opinion is also concerned that there will be many other "variations" in extra teaching and learning if management is not really close. This concern is not without basis, because there have been documents on management of extra teaching and learning in the past, but this situation still exists, even in some places and at some times it has become a "problem". In a recent meeting (March 21) of the Ministry of Education and Training in Ho Chi Minh City, Deputy Minister of Education and Training Pham Ngoc Thuong also affirmed that the management of extra teaching and learning is not a new story, because the situation of rampant extra teaching and learning has existed for many years. In the past, there have been many documents on managing this issue, but the rampant extra teaching and learning has not decreased but has shown signs of transformation, causing major consequences.

Deputy Minister Pham Ngoc Thuong also affirmed that Circular 29 does not prohibit extra teaching and learning, but must control rampant extra teaching and learning.

But how can this problem be solved at its root and how can the management of extra classes and tutoring avoid the situation of "old wine in new bottles" and "beating the drum and abandoning the drumsticks"?

In fact, the need for extra study and tutoring is real. Students who are not doing well want to study better, students who are doing well want to study even better, especially final year students, students preparing for the 10th grade or university entrance exams. Tutoring teachers are also legitimate workers to earn extra income and improve their lives when the salary is not high, if not to say that some education levels are still very low.

Meanwhile, extra teaching and learning come from many subjective and objective reasons that even those in the education sector have pointed out, such as: there are too many students in the class, teachers cannot "keep an eye" on each student when teaching the main course; the quality of education between schools (even between classes) in different areas and regions is not uniform. Besides, there are opinions that the current curriculum is too heavy, the exam questions are too difficult for students. Pressure on scores, children's achievements, teachers' and schools' achievements... also makes extra teaching and learning still exist, even increase.

Therefore, to effectively manage extra teaching and learning and prevent unnecessary consequences, it is necessary to implement many synchronous solutions. First of all, strictly implement the provisions of Circular 29. Inspection and examination of extra teaching and learning activities by relevant agencies must be carried out regularly, so that violations can be promptly handled.

Furthermore, managing extra teaching and learning is not only about the “tips”, but more importantly, it is about solving the “roots”. That is, how to improve the quality of teaching and learning in the main curriculum; innovate testing and evaluation methods. Creating test questions that are suitable to the program requirements so that students do not have to “race” to study extra, and teachers are not under too much pressure about their achievements. In particular, teachers’ income and living standards need to be improved, so that teachers can focus on their professional work, and make long-term contributions to the career of “growing people” – that is the noble and honorable responsibility of a teacher!

Source: https://danviet.vn/quan-ly-day-them-hoc-them-khong-danh-trong-bo-dui-20250323205726601.htm