'Class 39/40 children come to the teacher's house for extra classes, my child is like a strange person'

'My child is different when he doesn't go to extra classes'

"Yesterday afternoon after school, Bo sulked and told me that all her friends go to her teacher's house for extra classes, but not her. Why don't we go to her teacher's house to study, Mom?", her child's question made Ms. Nguyen Thi Bich Thuy (38 years old, Thanh Xuan, Hanoi) stunned, not knowing how to explain to her child.

Ms. Thuy and her husband are working as corporate customer service representatives at a large bank in Hanoi. The family's total monthly income is about 60 - 70 million VND, more than enough to invest in their 3rd grade daughter's extra classes. However, since the child entered 1st grade, both husband and wife agreed to send their child to public school, limiting extra classes so that the child has more time to play, explore, and have a complete childhood instead of just focusing on studying.

'Class 39/40 children come to the teacher's house for extra classes, my child is like a strange person' - 1

At the beginning of the school year, many parents complained about having to register their children for extra classes at the teacher's house. (Illustration: Ha Cuong)

She still remembers the meeting at the beginning of the new school year when Bo first entered first grade, the teacher suggested that parents could send their children to her house to learn more about writing and math on weekday evenings. She also did not forget to share that her house was near the school, so parents who worked late and could not pick up their children after school could send them to her house for extra classes in the evening.

Because it was the first year of high school, about half of the parents in the class signed up for their children to take extra classes at the teacher's house every evening during the week. Ms. Thuy remained determined to stick to her goal, not putting too much emphasis on academic results or putting pressure on her children.

Everything went smoothly for her child through first and second grade, and at the parent-teacher meeting last weekend, she continued to suggest that parents register their children for extra classes, at a cost of 150,000 VND/session. In addition to Math and Vietnamese classes, this year she also organized English classes so that parents could conveniently teach their children without having to travel back and forth everywhere.

"As usual, I still refused to let my child go to extra classes at night at the teacher's house. After knowing that the whole class of 39/40 students registered for extra classes, but only Bo did not, I was a bit panicked. I wondered if my child was different or not?", the female parent confided and worried that her child would be isolated or that the teacher would constantly "watch" her because she did not attend extra classes.

Without extra classes at her house, it's hard to get 10 points.

Mr. Tran Van Hai (36 years old, Ly Nhan, Ha Nam) has a child in grade 9. He said that after the opening ceremony, groups of parents of his son's class were bustling to register for extra classes to review for the transfer exam.

"On the very first day after the school opening, after finishing school, my child went to the first extra class at the homeroom teacher's house for 150 minutes, costing 300,000 VND/session. This extra class for Literature is taught once a week. In addition, my child will go to 1 extra class for Math, 2 extra classes for English and 2 extra classes for specialized subjects in order to register for entrance exams to some specialized schools next year," said Mr. Hai.

This is the first year he has registered his child for school, partly because the final year is important, and partly because of the stories that happened last school year, which made him worried.

Last year, after finishing the second semester test, Son sadly shared with his father that he did not do well and left the last 3 questions unfinished because this type of question was rare. He was even sadder when he learned that "the teacher corrected this type of question last night in extra classes", and only students who attended extra classes could solve it.

As expected, when it came time to return the test, Son's two close friends who had attended extra classes at her house both got 10 points, while his son only got 7 points.

'Class 39/40 children come to the teacher's house for extra classes, my child is like a strange person' - 2

The pressure of extra classes is putting pressure on children. (Illustration: D.K)

"In class, my child is always commented by teachers as hard-working, intelligent, and enthusiastic in speaking. His average academic performance in all subjects is always around 8.0 to 8.5. However, just because he did not attend extra classes at the teacher's house, he did not get a score of 10 like his friends. Even after knowing his score, he was very self-conscious and sad, blaming his parents for not letting him go to the teacher's house for extra classes," the parent said. What the child is going through is exactly the same as what he went through when he was still in school twenty years ago, so he understands the psychology of children very well.

For him, letting his children go to extra classes is a terrible thing, because children are at the age of eating, sleeping and playing, doing so is robbing them of their childhood.

According to Ms. Le Khanh Phuong, a teacher at Chu Van An Primary School (Hanoi), not only grade 1 teachers but also most other grades in primary school organize extra classes. The teaching content mainly includes tutoring and reviewing knowledge learned in class for students - a part that should be taught during regular school hours.

During extra classes, teachers also give students extra exercises to do in their own class, such as spelling, math exercises, reading exercises, etc. “However, if teachers are responsible and teach all the content of the curriculum in class, students do not need to take extra classes, it will only add pressure and stress to them after studying all day at school. Cramming an extra 1-2 hours will not help them study better. Extra classes only help students practice more skills, except for weak students who need extra tutoring,” said Ms. Khanh.

Also a teacher, Ms. Khanh understands the hardships and difficulties that the teaching profession is facing, when prices are rising, salaries are not enough to live on, so teachers are forced to "increase production" by teaching extra classes after hours to make a living. However, favoring students who go to extra classes over others in the class is wrong and should be condemned. This is tarnishing the image of teachers, creating a bad mentality that if students don't go to her extra classes, they won't be good, won't get high scores, the female teacher frankly assessed.

In March 2023, responding to voters about the growing popularity of extra teaching and learning despite the ban, Minister of Education and Training Nguyen Kim Son said that some other regulations of Circular No. 17 are still in effect, such as: principles of extra teaching and learning, cases where extra teaching and learning is not allowed, and responsibilities for managing extra teaching and learning activities of localities and educational institutions.
Circular 17 also clearly states that teachers must not organize extra classes or study classes following regular classes; must not cut down on the content of the regular general education program to include in extra classes; must not use any form to force students to take extra classes... This Circular also stipulates: "Do not teach extra classes to students who have been organized by the school to study 2 sessions/day...".

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