According to the draft, teachers will be allowed to tutor their own students outside of school, provided they report the activity and submit a list of students (including names and grades) to the school principal. They must also commit not to coerce students into attending these sessions. Additionally, teachers are prohibited from using materials from tutoring sessions for assessments in regular classes.

These new regulations have garnered significant attention from parents, teachers, and education stakeholders, leading to a variety of opinions.

Exacerbating inequality among students and teachers

The majority of feedback has been critical of the proposal to allow teachers to tutor their own students outside of school, with concerns that it could exacerbate inequality in the classroom.

One reader, Duong Anh Khoa, expressed concern that allowing teachers to tutor their own students could lead to favoritism in grading. "Students who attend extra classes are often more familiar with test answers and can achieve high scores without much effort, while those who do not attend these classes might struggle to get good grades despite working hard," Khoa wrote.

Another parent, Hoang Long, shared a personal experience: “My child doesn’t attend extra classes and has to work hard to score a 7 or 8 in exams. My child rarely gets called on in class. Why are teachers being given so many privileges when their salaries have already been improved?"

Questions have also been raised about how these new regulations will be enforced. "Who will ensure that teachers don't cover additional material in extra classes or teach less thoroughly in regular classes to save content for tutoring sessions? Who will monitor whether teachers favor students who attend extra classes or treat those who don't unfairly?" asked one concerned parent, Thanh Dao.

Others pointed out that in the "race" for extra tutoring, children from less affluent families are at a disadvantage, as their parents may not be able to afford additional classes.

A common concern is that allowing private tutoring places an undue burden on children, depriving them of a proper childhood. "My child has to attend school twice a day and then goes to extra classes in the evening, with no rest on weekends. If my child doesn’t attend extra classes, they can’t keep up with their peers. My child is only in elementary school but is already so overworked that they even recite lessons in their sleep. It breaks my heart, but I don’t know what to do," shared a mother from Ho Chi Minh City, Anh Tho.

Many parents also feel pressured to send their children to extra classes, fearing that their kids will fall behind or be treated unfairly in school if they don’t. This has caused financial strain and added stress for families who have to manage the logistics of getting their children to and from these classes.

Looking at the broader picture, some argue that private tutoring does not enhance the quality of education in the country or help students achieve greater academic success.

Tuấn Pham, a Vietnamese living in the U.S., noted that in many developed countries, teachers are prohibited from tutoring their own students. "My niece is in elementary school in Australia, and her teachers are not allowed to tutor their own students, except for music lessons. When I visited my other child in Canada, I saw a similar situation. In the U.S., students generally only take extra classes in music and sports," he shared.

Thanh Hai from Hanoi added that even in many Asian countries, teachers are not allowed to run private tutoring classes for their own students. "For example, in Japan, full-time public school teachers are not permitted to tutor. Students who need extra help usually go to independent tutoring centers."

Similarly, in South Korea, most students attend private tutoring centers known as hagwons, which focus primarily on preparing for university entrance exams or offering supplementary academic courses.

In Singapore, teachers employed by the Ministry of Education are allowed to tutor outside of school hours, but only for up to six hours a week, and must ensure that it does not negatively impact their teaching quality at school.

Another issue raised by critics of private tutoring is why students still need extra classes when the curriculum is already so demanding that it takes up most of their free time. "Why is there still a need for so much extra tutoring when the new curriculum (2018 National General Education Program) is supposed to help students master basic knowledge, apply it effectively in life, and learn independently for life?" asked a former teacher on their social media page.

"Private tutoring is a legitimate need - why ban it?"

Amid the strong opposition to relaxing restrictions on private tutoring, some individuals support the proposed changes, arguing that private tutoring addresses a real need and will continue to exist regardless of any bans.

One reader, Do Van, expressed the view that the demand for private tutoring comes from both teachers and parents. "Teachers want to earn extra income and share their knowledge, while parents want their children to be better prepared, and sometimes they need someone to look after their children."

"My wife and I work from morning until night. Our child finishes school by 4 or 5 p.m. Sending them to extra classes helps them reinforce what they learned in school, complete their homework so they don’t have to stay up late, and we know they’re in a safe place. The teacher puts in effort and knowledge, so they deserve to be compensated. Isn’t this a win-win situation?" a mother expressed.

Agreeing with the idea of not banning private tutoring, Hoang Cong from Hung Yen stated, "The essence of private tutoring is not inherently bad; it's a societal need. Tutoring can help excellent students excel and support struggling students. It only becomes negative when teachers teach poorly in regular classes to reserve important content for extra classes and treat students differently based on whether they attend these classes."

"So, instead of banning private tutoring, there should be specific requirements to prevent negative consequences. For example, teachers should be required to maintain a certain level of teaching quality in regular classes before being allowed to tutor outside of school, and they should be penalized if they fail to comply," Cong suggested.

From an economic perspective, Vuong Thinh from Hanoi argued that professionals in any field should be allowed and encouraged to increase their income through their expertise. "Doctors are allowed to see patients outside of work, financial experts can consult outside their firms, so why shouldn’t teachers be allowed to tutor outside of school? There are many skilled and knowledgeable teachers who, if not allowed to tutor and increase their income, would be a loss to both them and their students," Thinh said.

Supporting this view, another reader, Hai Bang from Nam Dinh, added, "It should be ensured that all exam-related knowledge is covered in regular classes, and that extra tutoring is only used for reinforcement and enhancement."

Regarding how to allow private tutoring while avoiding related negatives, a university lecturer suggested increasing teachers’ salaries so they can live comfortably and teach with dedication without needing to seek additional income.

Ministry of Education and Training: The main issue is preventing coercion in private tutoring

Responding to the mixed reactions to the proposal not to ban teachers from organizing private tutoring outside of school, Associate Professor Nguyen Xuan Thanh, Director of the Secondary Education Department at the Ministry of Education and Training, told “Giao Duc & Thoi Dai” Newspaper that the regulation prohibiting public school teachers from "organizing" private tutoring remains unchanged, in line with the general rule that public employees are not allowed to engage in business activities. However, teachers are still allowed to "participate" in private tutoring.

If they do participate in tutoring outside of school, teachers must do two things: report to the principal about the subject, location, and time of the tutoring, and commit to fulfilling their assigned duties and not violating any regulations related to tutoring. If they tutor students from their own classes, they must submit a list of those students to the principal and commit to not coercing students into attending the tutoring sessions.

These reports allow the principal to have information on record, and if the teacher violates the regulations, there will be evidence for disciplinary action.

Associate Professor Nguyen Xuan Thanh emphasized that local education authorities are responsible for monitoring and managing these activities, starting from the school level and extending to district and provincial education departments.

"When drafting these regulations, our focus was on preventing negative practices, not on banning legitimate needs of both teachers and students," Thanh said.

He further emphasized that tutoring outside of school is considered a business activity, and as such, must be registered as a business.

"The public's main concern is about teachers who teach students in school and then 'coerce' them into attending private tutoring outside of school, forcing students and parents to 'voluntarily' enroll. This is the issue that the education sector aims to address," Thanh stated.

Addressing the issue of private tutoring, Minister of Education and Training Nguyen Kim Son affirmed during a National Assembly discussion on November 20, 2023, that private tutoring is a real demand, and the Ministry has implemented various regulations to manage this activity.

However, the Minister acknowledged that there is a lack of legal frameworks to manage, supervise, and regulate private tutoring outside of school. The Ministry had previously proposed adding private tutoring to the list of conditional business activities, which would provide a legal basis for managing it outside of school, but this proposal was not approved.

With 53,000 schools nationwide, the Minister expressed hope that local governments would collaborate to control private tutoring outside of school premises.

In the recently issued draft circular on private tutoring, Article 5, Chapter II specifies that organizations or individuals conducting private tutoring outside of school must register their business in accordance with the law.

Hoang Linh