Another locality is piloting the option of allowing secondary school students to take Saturday off.

The Department of Education and Training of Bac Ninh City (Bac Ninh Province) proposed that the leaders of the People's Committee of Bac Ninh City allow a pilot program of teaching 5 days/week and Saturdays off at the following secondary schools: Suoi Hoa, Ninh Xa, Ve An and Nguyen Dang Dao.

According to the Department of Education and Training of Bac Ninh City, from the experience of some localities across the country that have allowed secondary school students to take Saturdays off, the department has directed a survey of the needs of managers, teachers, parents and students and researched the regulations on building educational plans, programs, and scientific timetables to ensure correct and sufficient regular school time for grades 6 - 7 is 29 periods/week, grades 8 and 9 is 29.5 periods/week.

In the afternoon, schools proactively arrange additional activities for sports clubs, talent clubs, art clubs, reading stories, life skills training, etc.

Bac Ninh City pilots allowing students in some secondary schools to take Saturdays off

Particularly, Nguyen Dang Dao Secondary School can propose additional time and location to organize training for the excellent student team of grades 6, 7, 8 at the city level and the excellent student team of grade 9 to participate in the excellent student competition at the provincial level.

The Department of Education and Training of Bac Ninh City found that teaching from Monday to Friday and taking Saturday off is suitable for living conditions, work schedules and the wishes of many people.

The city's Department of Education and Training proposed that the leaders of the Bac Ninh City People's Committee allow a pilot program of teaching 5 days a week and Saturdays off at the following secondary schools: Suoi Hoa, Ninh Xa, Ve An and Nguyen Dang Dao.

Specifically, Suoi Hoa Secondary School, Ninh Xa Secondary School (2 units currently organizing boarding meals for students) and Ve An Secondary School (only 8 classes with 372 students, with the purpose of attracting students from the following school years) will implement from November 4. With Nguyen Dang Dao Secondary School, it will implement from January 20, 2025 (after the provincial excellent student competition).

Don't let a day off become an extra day of study.

To make Saturday and Sunday truly days off for teachers and students, the Department of Education and Training issued a document on rectifying the management of extra teaching and learning activities.

In addition, the Department of Education and Training of Bac Ninh City also requested principals of secondary schools in the city to do a good job of propaganda, organize teachers to sign a commitment not to organize extra teaching and learning contrary to regulations, and absolutely not to teach extra classes for students in grades 6, 7, and 8 on Saturdays and Sundays.

At the same time, instruct homeroom teachers to closely coordinate with parents to have orientation on managing students' time during weekends and forming self-study awareness in students.

Previously, some localities such as Lao Cai, Lai Chau, Ha Tinh City, etc. had allowed secondary school students to take Saturday off. Among them, Lao Cai province implemented this model the earliest. Lao Cai Department of Education and Training assessed that after 5 years of piloting allowing all secondary school students to take Saturday off, it has brought many positive results.

Teachers have the opportunity to improve their professional qualifications; students can participate in experiential activities, extracurricular activities, practice life skills, and develop comprehensively... Notably, when the above policy was applied, it helped increase the rate of students attending school regularly and reduce the number of students dropping out of school.

When deciding to let students take Saturday off, localities have solutions to avoid turning the day off into a day of extra teaching and learning. Localities organize signing of commitments or thoroughly educate teachers in public schools not to organize extra classes on Saturdays and Sundays. The education sector has specific instructions, develops a proper teaching plan according to regulations, and teachers sign a commitment not to teach extra classes on Saturdays and Sundays.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/them-mot-dia-phuong-thi-diem-cho-hoc-sinh-thcs-nghi-hoc-thu-bay-185241106100600074.htm