Head of the District 12 Department of Education and Training, Khuu Manh Hung, said that eight primary schools in the area had pushed back classes to 7.15 am or 7.30 am since October 24.

"Some other schools are discussing with parents to have suitable adjustments," he said. "But it will be difficult for secondary or high schools to delay the start of their day due to their heavy syllabus."

Headmaster of Nguyen Van The Primary School, Mai Viet Han, said that parents and students have all welcomed the delay when they have more time to prepare in the morning.

"The adjustment doesn't affect our schedules and activities much," she said.

The move came after many parents in the city recently complained that their children had to go to school too early in the morning, which badly affected their children's health. The issue became a hot topic on many internet forums with opinions being shared by lots of parents and education experts. Some parents said that their children have to get up very early and have quick breakfasts. Others said the children often skip breakfasts and arrive late at the classes and that they often looked sleepy and tired.

However, teachers at a school in Thu Duc City said that not all parents want the delay as it would affect their work.

"Many parents, especially those working at industrial and processing zones, have to work early in the morning and they want to take their children to school early before going to work," a teacher said. "They want to keep the current school starting time of between 7 am-7.30 am."

Some teachers admitted that Vietnamese students start morning classes too early compared to students in other countries, but adjusting time would require lots of changes.

"We need to reduce the syllabus, design proper public transport for students, as well as adjust working times in many sectors and factories," teachers said.

Talking about the issue, vice director of the HCM City Department of Education and Training, Nguyen Bao Quoc, said that localities and schools decided the timetable themselves based on their schedules, transport situation and parents' work.

Source: Dtinews