Deputy Minister of Education and Training: Not yet mandatory to teach 2 sessions/day at secondary and high school levels

The above content was informed by Deputy Minister of Education and Training Pham Ngoc Thuong at the regular Government press conference on the afternoon of April 6. According to Mr. Thuong, studying 2 sessions/day is not a new activity in education. Many countries in the world, when conditions are sufficient, also organize teaching 2 sessions/day very well.

To effectively teach two sessions a day, Mr. Thuong said, schools need to meet three conditions:

Firstly, the facilities need to ensure adequate conditions for children to stay at school during lunchtime. At the same time, there must be enough playgrounds and training grounds to organize physicaleducation activities and improve other skills.

Second, there must be enough teachers.

Third, there is a teaching program and educational activities that ensure 2 sessions/day, suitable for the psychology and physiology of students' age.

However, according to the survey, the requirement for secondary and high school students to study 2 sessions/day is not appropriate because it does not meet the three conditions mentioned above. In addition, the needs of students at this level are diverse and highly differentiated, and schools cannot meet them. The State must first ensure good study of the main curriculum, and the second session depends on the needs and management capacity.

Deputy Minister of Education and Training Pham Ngoc Thuong. (Photo: Government Newspaper)

Deputy Minister Pham Ngoc Thuong said that in Vietnam, teaching 2 sessions/day has been organized for a long time at the primary level, the 2018 general education program also clearly stipulates this. Through practice, it shows that it is much more convenient, because the children are young, so organizing boarding school is very suitable, although the conditions are not as desired.

For junior high and high school levels, the Ministry of Education and Training has instructed to teach two sessions per day since 2010, encouraging qualified schools, based on the voluntary spirit of parents and students. Up to now, the number of junior high and high schools organizing two sessions per day has increased significantly compared to 10 years ago.

"Through the survey, we found that places that organize teaching two sessions a day well have better and better overall education quality in that school and class," said Mr. Thuong, while frankly admitting that, besides the advantages, teaching two sessions a day still has some shortcomings. Typically, there are places that mainly teach cultural knowledge, causing pressure on students.

Therefore, in the coming time, the Ministry of Education and Training will review and re-evaluate this teaching activity. After the evaluation results are available, the Ministry will have general national guidelines to apply to each level of education.

The representative of the Ministry of Education and Training affirmed that the plan to implement two-session learning per day must be based on the voluntary spirit of students and their parents. Because when they reach middle school and high school, students have their own needs and career orientation has also begun to form.

"Up to this point, the Ministry of Education and Training is surveying and researching, and has not yet announced that junior high and high school levels are required to teach 2 sessions/day," Mr. Thuong emphasized.

Kim Nhung - English

Source: https://vtcnews.vn/thu-truong-bo-gd-dt-chua-bat-buoc-day-2-buoi-ngay-o-cap-thcs-thpt-ar936098.html