Hanoi Department of Education and Training has proposed to allow two teachers per class due to the high number of pupils.    

Le Ngoc Quang, deputy director of the Department of Education and Training said overcrowding was unavoidable, especially at popular schools.

According to the regulations, there should be one teacher per 35 pupils. However, in many schools, up to 60 pupils have to share a classroom. Besides opening more classrooms, the department will assign one assistant teacher to overcrowded rooms.

"Classes with more than 60 pupils will have two teachers. It's just a temporary fix but we have to do it. We have to ensure education quality for the pupils no matter what," he said.

In the long-term, the department will review the number of schools in each ward and district and report to the city people's committee and people's council for better planning.

In the past decade, the number of pupils in Hanoi has increased by 41% and the number of classrooms increased by 39%. For the 2018-2019 school year, Hanoi has 2,689 schools with 1,986,809 pupils.

This year, many public schools in Hanoi and HCM City are overcrowded because of increasing population and superstitions about lucky birth years. They have had to stop providing lunch and allowing pupils to sleep while doubling the number of pupils per class.

The number of full-day classes has also been cut for more half-day classes.

Vietnamnet/Dtinews