VietNamNet Bridge - Many schools have ignored the Ministry of Education and Training’s (MOET) instruction that the 2016-2017 academic year starts no sooner than August 1 and no later than August 25, and have asked students to return to school in July.

The Luong The Vinh Secondary & High School in Hanoi convened students to school on July 1 and said that the new academic year started on July 4, according to Nguoi Lao Dong.

A parent whose daughter is a student of the Nhan Chinh High School in Hanoi said that her daughter had been told to come back to school on July 18.

Meanwhile, Nguyen Huong, a parent in Long Bien district, said the Bo De Primary School’s students have been asked to go to see teachers on July 14 and be informed about the summer learning plan.

Many schools have ignored the Ministry of Education and Training’s (MOET) instruction that the 2016-2017 academic year starts no sooner than August 1 and no later than August 25, and have asked students to return to school in July.

“As students have to return to school in July, they will only have one month for a summer holiday. However, I feel sympathetic toward the school’s teachers. They open summer classes in order to earn some money,” she said.

Many other schools in Hanoi have also asked their students to return to school in mid-July.

MOET on June 29 sent a dispatch to local authorities requesting local education departments and schools to strictly follow schedules to ensure reasonable summer holidays for students, while threatening to punish schools that violate the regulation.

Under the plan set up by the Hanoi Education & Training Department, preschools, primary and secondary schools will enroll students from July 1 to July 15. 

However, many non-state owned schools in the city have re-opened since early July.Tis means that the enrollment finished before July and schools have started the new academic year, though the official opening ceremony of the new academic year will take place on September 5.

At Marie Curie School in Nam Tu Liem district, the enrollment of first graders was completed in April, while sixth graders finished in mid-June.

Nguyen Xuan Khang, headmaster of Marie Curie, explained that some students have come back to school, but just for extracurricular activities.

“Our students can stay at home until July 31. However, many students, about 60-70 percent of total number of students, now attend extracurricular classes – physical education, sports, English and life skill classes,” he said.

A parent in Cau Giay district commented that in principle, students go to ‘extracurricular activities’ on a voluntary basis, but in fact, they have to go. 

“Students’ summer holidays are getting shorter. In the past, it lasted three months. But nowadays, students only have one month to relax,” he complained. “Students don’t have time to enjoy their childhood."


NLD