Ministry of Education and Training guides teaching 2 sessions/day without charging

The document guiding the organization of teaching 2 sessions/day will replace the old guidance from 2010, which is no longer suitable for the new general education program.

According to the guidance of the Ministry of Education and Training , teaching 2 sessions/day will help improve the quality of comprehensive educational activities, from moral education, life skills, to STEM/STEAM education, reading culture, financial education, foreign languages, and artificial intelligence (AI). This also contributes to overcoming the situation of illegal extra teaching and learning.

The document also emphasizes the effective use of existing teaching staff and facilities, while promoting innovation in teaching and assessment methods towards developing students' capacity and qualities.

The goal of teaching two sessions a day is to improve the quality of comprehensive education. (Illustration photo)

To ensure scientific and flexible, the document clearly distinguishes between session 1 and session 2.

Session 1: Time to implement the main curriculum, including compulsory subjects, elective subjects and advanced topics (for high school level).

Session 2: For supplementary educational activities, capacity development, nurturing excellent students, tutoring weak students, life skills education, physical education, arts, career guidance and many other contents.

The time of the two sessions can be arranged flexibly, not necessarily fixed as session 1 in the morning and session 2 in the afternoon. This helps schools proactively develop plans suitable to actual conditions.

For effective implementation, the Ministry of Education and Training requires the Department of Education and Training of provinces and cities to advise local People's Committees on teacher coordination, investment in facilities, and development of appropriate policies and mechanisms. The 2-session/day teaching plan needs to be clearly developed in terms of roadmap, resources, content, and responsibilities.

Schools must survey student needs and publicize plans and timetables so that students and parents are aware. The arrangement of teachers and facilities must ensure that students, teachers and parents are not overloaded. Schools also need to develop appropriate and safe lunch and break plans.

At the same time, the mobilization of experts, artisans, and professional athletes to participate in educational activities is also encouraged, in order to diversify the content and improve the quality of comprehensive education. The document is also the basis for localities to prioritize investment in schools in remote areas, ensuring equity in education.

Previously, General Secretary To Lam requested the education sector to prepare the necessary conditions to implement two-session teaching per day for primary and secondary school students. Schools are not allowed to collect fees, and must increase teaching of culture and arts, reduce learning pressure to ensure comprehensive development of students. The State will be the main source of investment, combined with encouraging socialization.

The country currently has 23.2 million students in general education. Of these, there are about 8.9 million primary school students and about 6.5 million secondary school students. Currently, teaching two sessions a day is mandatory for primary school and encouraged for secondary and high school.