According to Mr. Pham Ngoc Thuong, Circular 29 was built with viewpoints and principles, in which it determines the management of extra teaching and learning activities, but "does not prohibit".

Avoid teachers "pulling" students out for extra lessons.

What are the new points of the Circular regulating extra teaching and learning, Deputy Minister?

The new circular stipulates that no extra teaching or learning is allowed for primary school students, except for cases of training in arts, sports, and life skills; no extra teaching for students whose schools have organized two sessions per day.

Extra teaching and learning in schools must not collect fees from students and is only for 3 groups under the responsibility of the school: Students whose final semester subject results are not satisfactory; Students selected by the school to foster excellent students; and final year students who voluntarily register to review for entrance exams and graduation exams according to the school's educational plan.

The Ministry of Education and Training's viewpoint is to aim for schools that do not have extra classes or tutoring. Instead, after school hours for subjects according to the curriculum, students have time and space to participate in recreational activities, sports, fine arts, music, etc., so that time in general schools is not only for learning knowledge but also for students to develop comprehensively in terms of personality, lifestyle, sense of responsibility and ability to integrate into society, and practice problem-solving skills.

Regarding regulations on extra teaching and learning outside of school, the new circular stipulates that organizations and individuals organizing extra teaching and learning with fees from students must comply with relevant legal regulations (registering business, declaring activities, providing relevant information to local authorities according to the law); teachers who are teaching at schools are not allowed to teach extra classes outside of school with fees from their students in class... The new regulation aims to ensure the rights of students, avoiding teachers "pulling" students from class to teach extra classes.

If students do not belong to the group that needs to take extra classes at school, they have the desire to take extra classes outside of school, it is completely voluntary. Studying to be better and develop themselves is a legitimate desire, so the Ministry of Education and Training does not prohibit it. However, organizations and individuals who teach extra classes must register their business and must publicize the location, subjects, study time, funding... and must strictly follow the provisions of the law on working hours, working hours, safety, security...

Towards "protecting the dignity of the teaching profession"

The circular regulating extra teaching and learning with new "breakthrough" regulations received positive reviews from society, however, before the official implementation, there were some confusions in the implementation. What does the Deputy Minister share about the responsibilities of the parties in implementing this circular?

Up to this point, through monitoring public opinion, the regulations of the circular have received consensus from society. Thus, the overall management of a "big, difficult" issue such as extra teaching and learning has been demonstrated through the regulations of Circular 29. Now is the implementation process, in which "understanding and fulfilling the responsibilities of all parties" is the decisive factor for Circular 29 to truly come into life.

On the part of the Ministry of Education and Training, after issuing Circular 29 and after the Prime Minister's telegram on strengthening the direction of secondary and high school enrollment and management of extra teaching and learning activities, the Ministry will continue to issue further documents urging and directing the Departments of Education and Training to advise and issue instructions for implementation at the local level.

On the part of the People's Committees of the provinces, it is necessary to direct the effective implementation of communication work, organize conferences to disseminate and guide relevant subjects to unify in organizing and implementing the regulations correctly; effectively implement in the short and long term to effectively manage the extra teaching and learning, and effectively manage the responsibility of state management of education. Direct general education institutions in the area to strictly implement the regulations on extra teaching and learning; strictly handle cases of violations of regulations; promptly detect, commend, reward, and promote examples of collectives and individuals who are dedicated, enthusiastic, and devoted to students. Provide appropriate financial support to schools to contribute to improving the quality of education.

On the part of the Department of Education and Training, it is recommended that departments continue to pay attention and soon issue instructions and advice suitable for localities.

For schools and teachers, our responsibility is to teach students to form qualities and abilities, meeting output standards; the test and assessment questions must also be correct and sufficient to meet the requirements of the program. For students who are really weak, still confused in preparing for the transfer exams, high school graduation exams, the responsibility of schools and teachers is to support them. When we determine such responsibilities, other problems will no longer be heavy.

In recent days, there have been opinions that not teaching extra classes reduces teachers' income. We all know that there are many preschool teachers, teachers in remote areas, many subjects... who do not teach extra classes but are still dedicated and passionate about their profession. I would like to share more, recently when teaching extra classes, some negative factors have appeared, many good teachers have also suffered from bad reputations and injuries, so this new regulation is also aimed at "protecting the dignity of the teaching profession". Change and innovation are always difficult and difficult to accept. But what the circular regulating extra classes and tutoring is aiming for is for an education with good values.

Therefore, although the first steps are difficult, I hope that there will be consensus and determination in implementing this circular. The Ministry of Education and Training will closely work with localities, schools and teachers in the implementation process. Social supervision of the implementation of the circular regulating extra teaching and learning is also very important for the regulation to be implemented effectively.

Don't be tricky when giving questions.

Extra teaching and learning are real needs of both teachers and students, but in reality, negative phenomena of extra teaching and learning still exist. Can the Deputy Minister tell us what the solution is?

In addition to management innovations, extra teaching and learning also require changes in the awareness of the whole society towards this issue. Therefore, many short-term and long-term solutions are needed to effectively manage extra teaching and learning. Here I mention some solutions as follows:

First, administrative solution: Issue circulars and specific regulations.

Second, professional solutions: Improve the capacity and teaching methods of teachers, the responsibility of teachers, promote the self-study ability of students. Innovate testing and assessment: regular testing, assessment, final assessment, entrance exams must be consistent with the content and requirements of the 2018 General Education Program; do not puzzle, do not go beyond the content of the program to ensure that students study according to the program, do not need to study extra to pass the tests and admissions. Strengthen the connection between general education and university education; specifically: such as in university entrance exams using general knowledge, do not puzzle...

Third, solutions to improve facilities and schools: There must be enough schools to ensure equal access to education for students. Increase the number of schools and classes that teach two sessions per day.

Fourth, solutions to strengthen inspection and examination.

Fifth, the solution is to promote and mobilize, thereby raising teachers' sense of self-respect and self-esteem to say "no" to extra teaching that is not in accordance with regulations. In addition, policies to ensure the lives of teachers are also solutions to this problem.