In Vietnam's outdated and underdeveloped educational system, a majority of high-school students, especially those in major cities, have after-school courses as an integral part of their studies given the fear of falling behind classmates and the heavy workload. 

Parents are aware that private tutoring puts more pressure on their children but they have no other choice. 

Due to this phenomenon, private tutoring has mushroomed and certain teachers have taken advantage of it to make money by forcing their students to take their courses after school. 

Therefore, various measures have been taken to put an end to this chronic problem of the education sector.

Three months ago Minister of Education and Training Phung Xuan Nha asked HCMC education authorities to take measures to ease students’ heavy workload and stop after-school classes. 

Later, the HCMC Party Committee ordered a stop to all extra classes at schools from the 2016-2017 academic year, except those for poor-performing students. Private tutoring is just allowed at foreign language centers and non-school educational institutions.

Many parents complain that their children are forced to take additional evening courses run by the same teachers at schools. 

If their children do not attend those extra classes, they would certainly lag behind their classmates because teachers often equip their students at those extra classes with the knowledge which cannot be found in formal classes. 

Furthermore, parents fear that their students might get low marks or little teacher attention if they do not show up at after-school courses.

Le Hong Son, director of the HCMC Department of Education and Training, is quoted by Dan Tri online newspaper as saying that impractical yet heavy curricula weighs on students, forcing them to join after-school classes. 

Meanwhile, overcrowded classrooms, inadequate infrastructure and a lack of qualified teachers make it difficult for the city to innovate its education.

However, the city's move might face strong resistance from teachers, particularly those at public schools, because their low salaries are barely sufficient to cover expenses for the basic necessities of life. 

Everyone knows that after-school courses are virtually their main source of income. For some students, extra tutoring would be needed if they fall behind their classmates. 

Some parents eagerly look for after-school classes to help their children gain the knowledge which cannot be found in formal classes at school. 

Speaking on the forums of news sites, some readers believe after-school courses held by both schools and teachers will continue staying despite the ban. Is private tutoring good or bad? No satisfactory answer can be found any time soon.

At a meeting with the HCMC People’s Council last week, Nguyen Van Loi, the principal of the Phan Dinh Phung Pedagogical Practice School, said, “As parents cannot pick up their children after school, they want teachers to keep children until they can come to take the kids home… Our school organizes sport, physical and other activities for students. Those who don’t like physical activities can do school assignments with the help of teachers."

Loi was moved to tears when he said wages of teachers at public schools are too low to cover their basic needs. 

Teachers are also parents; they want to return home immediately after work. But they have to make some more money to make ends meet. There is nothing more bitter for teachers than being unable to live on their salaries.

Ho Thi Ngoc Suong, the principal of Chu Van An Secondary School in District 1, said on Vietnamnet that even school headmasters have to send children to after-school classes to ensure that they can receive all necessary knowledge they need. In a survey of schools in District 1 last month, the People’s Council of the city found that things would be better if private tutoring continues at school.

“Our school has been organizing extra classes because we want to ensure students can get what they need and teachers can survive. 

The curriculum for secondary school students is demanding while students have to compete to enter quality public high schools. Thanks to private tutoring, the percentage of students passing exams at public schools is high,” she said.

It is better to tackle the root cause of private tutoring than simply prohibiting it. In addition to reducing the workload at all levels of education, the Government should increase teachers’ wages. But pay raise is a tough task which cannot be done overnight.

SGT