Many experts believe that extra study and extra teaching are necessary activities to meet the legitimate needs of students. (Source: Labor)

The draft Circular regulating extra teaching and learning of the Ministry of Education and Training is currently receiving public attention, especially from parents and students. Many opinions agree, but there are still opposing opinions, showing that practical solutions are needed to make this activity transparent, create prestige for teachers, and quality for students.

Among them, there are some outstanding contents such as: principles in extra teaching and learning; time limits for extra teaching and learning in schools; regulations on extra teaching outside... When officially issued, this Circular will replace Circular No. 17 dated May 16, 2012 of the Minister of Education and Training.

Extra teaching and learning are always hot topics in the general education system. In today's society, extra learning and tutoring have become an indispensable part of the education of many students, an inevitable need originating from the students themselves to meet the needs of learning and improving knowledge. So what do extra learning and tutoring really mean and how should we look at this issue?

It can be said that extra study and tutoring are one of the solutions that many parents and students seek to improve their learning outcomes. With the increasingly heavy curriculum and large amount of knowledge, extra study helps students consolidate their knowledge, supplementing the parts that teachers have not had time to teach or cannot go into depth in class.

Especially for students with weak learning ability, this becomes an opportunity for them to access basic knowledge. In the context of increasingly competitive exams, extra classes can help students get familiar with the types of exercises and exam questions and better prepare for tests and exams.

In addition, this activity reflects the law of supply and demand in society. Especially at higher levels of education, the need to study appears more due to the pressure from exams and the desire to improve personal capacity. Therefore, tutoring, in some aspects, is considered necessary to meet these legitimate desires.

However, besides the benefits, extra classes can create a lot of pressure for students, especially for those from poor families. Because of spending time in extra classes, students do not have time to rest, entertain or participate in outdoor activities, which can reduce the child's ability to develop comprehensively.

Dr. Hoang Ngoc Vinh, former Director of the Department of Vocational Education (Ministry of Education and Training), said that to ensure that extra teaching takes place in accordance with regulations, there needs to be synchronous and strict management from all levels. This includes standardizing the curriculum and exam questions to avoid the situation of "taking extra classes to get high scores".

At the same time, setting up a hotline to receive feedback from parents is also an effective solution. In addition, it is necessary to implement educational programs for parents, helping them understand the impact of tutoring on the comprehensive development of their children, helping parents make informed decisions, avoiding the situation where students are forced or attend inappropriate classes.

Meanwhile, Dr. Nguyen Tung Lam, Vice President of the Vietnam Association of Educational Psychology, expressed his opinion that the Draft on extra teaching and learning has positive points such as creating conditions for teachers to teach extra lessons legally, being fair with other professions, and providing solutions to prevent the situation of forcing students to take extra lessons.

However, there are still issues that need to be clarified in the circular, especially in the context of the 2018 general education program aiming to develop learners’ capacity and qualities. Currently, education still focuses too much on cramming knowledge and chasing scores, leading to students having to study more without developing real skills and capacity. The pressure from extra study makes children lose their childhood and feel tired.

To improve this situation, tutoring management needs to ensure the voluntary participation of students and parents, and at the same time change the perception of teachers, parents and students about the true value of education. Too much tutoring does not guarantee future success, and tutoring just to get high scores should be avoided.

In addition, admission methods for specialized schools and high-quality schools need to change to reduce the pressure of extra classes and focus on exams. The government should have policies to support extra tutoring in schools to ensure fairness and efficiency.

With the educational goal of developing students' thinking and capacity instead of just cramming pure knowledge, the problem of extra teaching and learning as it is happening needs to be corrected. Because capacity and thinking are formed from many activities, not just sitting in class to solve exercises and improve scores. Innovation in testing and exams is also a strong solution to prevent unnecessary extra teaching and learning as it is today.

So how to solve the problems related to extra learning and teaching? First of all, the authorities need to have stricter management measures for extra classes. These classes need to be organized in a transparent manner, with the supervision of educational agencies to ensure teaching quality and fairness among students.

At the same time, tutoring should not be considered an optimal solution. Students should be encouraged to develop self-study and research skills, instead of relying solely on tutoring to pass exams. Teachers in schools also need to create an interesting, creative and close learning environment so that students can absorb knowledge naturally and effectively.

Parents need to realize that extra classes are not the only way to help their children succeed, and pay attention to their children's comprehensive development, including social, physical and mental skills. Only when students have a balanced development in all aspects can they achieve long-term and sustainable success in life.

Learning is a long process and requires a balance between knowledge and comprehensive development. Therefore, there needs to be changes in the way of looking at and organizing extra learning, not only to help students achieve high academic results but also to help them develop well in all aspects, becoming useful people for society.