Will amend regulations on student desk and chair standards

National Assembly supervision also pointed out many shortcomings.

Currently, the standards for desks and chairs for primary, secondary and high school students in schools nationwide are applied according to Joint Circular No. 26/2011/TTLT- BGD&ĐT-BKHCN-BYT (Circular 26) issued by the Ministry of Education and Training, the Ministry of Science and Technology, and the Ministry of Health on June 16, 2011 guiding the standards for desks and chairs for primary, secondary and high school students.

This Circular stipulates that student desks and chairs are divided into 6 sizes for students with heights from 100 cm to 175 cm. Each size specifies the basic dimensions of desks and chairs, and the arrangement of desks and chairs in the classroom to ensure suitability for the majority of students with normal anthropometric indexes.

However, the National Assembly Standing Committee's recent monitoring report on curriculum and textbook innovation also pointed out that Circular 26 still has shortcomings. Specifically, Circular 26 stipulates the size of desks and chairs according to 6 sizes, but does not specify the size of desks and chairs for students with a height of over 175 cm. "However, these standards are based on survey data on physical development and anthropometrics of students from 2001 - 2004. After nearly 20 years, the physical condition of students has changed a lot," the report stated.

Many schools in Ho Chi Minh City are equipped with desks and chairs designed to seat no more than 2 students.

According to the report, through actual surveys, some localities did not conduct surveys on the average height of students before purchasing, purchased the same size, and arranged students to sit in one classroom from the beginning to the end of the grade. Therefore, the monitoring team suggested that the Ministry of Education and Training coordinate with the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Science and Technology to amend Circular 26 to suit the current development and stature of students.

What does the Ministry of Education and Training say?

Speaking with Thanh Nien reporter, Mr. Pham Hung Anh, Director of the Department of Facilities (Ministry of Education and Training), said: "Through actual surveys and feedback from the grassroots, currently in some localities with developed economic conditions, children are well-nourished, some high school students are over 175 cm tall, leading to inappropriate desks and chairs according to regulations."

According to Mr. Hung Anh, in the coming time, the Ministry of Education and Training will coordinate with the Ministry of Science and Technology, the Ministry of Health, and the Vietnam Institute of Educational Sciences to study student anthropometry. Based on the research results, the Ministry of Education and Training will adjust and amend Circular 26 to suit the actual physical condition of students. While waiting for the amendment of the circular, if schools and localities purchase new desks and chairs, they need to flexibly survey and assess the actual physical condition of students to choose the appropriate size of desks and chairs to purchase.

About 63% of schools implement 2-seater desks and chairs

According to statistics from the Ministry of Education and Training, by the end of the last school year, the number of 2-seat desks and chairs in schools nationwide reached about 63% (of which 65% were in primary schools, 65% in secondary schools, and 60% in high schools). According to regulations, desks and chairs are designed to have no more than 2 seats, but in some remote, isolated, and disadvantaged areas, old-style 4-seat desks and chairs are still being used, which are not suitable for the learning model. "However, this number has also improved a lot compared to 10 years ago when only about 40% of desks and chairs met the standards. This shows that localities are also very interested in equipping standard desks and chairs for students," said Mr. Pham Hung Anh.

Circular 26 guiding the standards of desks and chairs for primary, secondary and high schools stipulates: Desks and chairs are designed to have no more than 2 seats; desks and chairs are separate and independent; desks must be arranged with places to store learning materials in accordance with the design structure. Chairs may have backrests or not, depending on the age of students. The corners and edges of desks and chairs must be smooth to ensure aesthetics and safety. Desks and chairs must use colors that ensure aesthetics and must be suitable for the learning environment of students.

Mr. Hung Anh said that Circular 26 currently has only one point that needs to be corrected: it does not have a size for students with a height of 175 cm or more. Except for this point, the current shortcomings in student desks and chairs are not due to the regulations of Circular 26 but due to the implementation in localities. When the Ministry inspected the local facilities, it found that many localities followed the regulations of Circular 26 well, but there were problems and constraints that needed to be resolved.

For example, Circular 26 has very specific regulations, detailing the size and code of desks and chairs according to student height groups, but many schools still arrange students from the first grade to the last grade to sit in one classroom, with one size of desk and chair. This situation occurs most often in primary schools because in urban areas, many parents when their children enter grade 1 often organize the purchase of air conditioners and wall-mounted equipment for their children's classrooms, so they want to agree with the school to let students study in that room from grade 1 to grade 5. This leads to the size of desks and chairs arranged for grade 1 classrooms no longer being suitable for students in higher grades...

Many schools still use substandard student desks and chairs, with heights that are not suitable for the physical condition of today's students.

Regarding this reality, the Head of the Department of Facilities said that the Ministry has repeatedly directed and requested localities to pay attention to arranging for students to sit on desks and chairs of the correct size according to regulations, not allowing students from the first grade to the last grade to sit on the same set of desks and chairs because their physical condition changes every year. Not only changing the size of desks and chairs for each class, the Ministry's regulations also clearly state: "Desks and chairs are arranged to suit the majority of students. In a classroom, many sizes can be arranged at the same time, not just one size for all students".

Responding to the question of whether schools have the right to proactively purchase desks and chairs for their students to ensure the best fit for their needs and physical condition, Mr. Hung Anh said that this depends on the teaching equipment procurement mechanism of each locality. In some places, centralized procurement is carried out by the provincial public procurement center; in other places, the district level is assigned to purchase based on the needs and proposals of schools located in the area...

Mr. Pham Hung Anh also said that although the Ministry's regulations require that desks and chairs be designed with no more than 2 seats, the most ideal thing is to equip single chairs for students to both personalize each student and be flexible in arranging and organizing educational activities in the classroom.

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