The Ministry of Education and Training has issued Official Letter No. 4567/BGDDT-GDPT guiding the organization of teaching and learning in 2 sessions/day for general education.
Accordingly, teaching time is flexibly deployed at each level of education. For secondary and high schools, implement 2 sessions/day according to the roadmap; organize and conduct 2 sessions/day teaching at schools with sufficient facilities and teaching staff; arrange a minimum learning schedule of 5 days/week, up to a maximum of 11 sessions/week, no more than 7 lessons per day, each 45 minutes.
Previously, many schools arranged 8 - 9 periods/day for students to have a full weekend break. After the new regulations were issued, schools adjusted and reduced the lessons to Saturday mornings. This change is attracting special attention from parents and students.
Dao Nhat Long, an 11th grade student at Co Loa High School (Hanoi) shared that studying on Saturdays is completely reasonable. According to Long, the amount of knowledge in grade 11 is quite large, both preparing for the advanced program and creating a foundation for the final year.
Studying on Saturdays gives me more time to ask teachers for help, discuss with friends, and solve difficult exercises. This is a stepping stone for me to be ready to enter grade 12 - the stressful exam preparation period" - Long said.
Long said that being able to study a maximum of 7 periods/day helps make each session more reasonable and not overloaded, so studying on Saturdays is not a pressure for him but becomes an opportunity to proactively learn and practice self-study habits.
From the perspective of parents, sharing with Lao Dong reporter, Ms. Nguyen Thi Nga - whose child is studying in grade 11 at a high school in Dong Anh commune (Hanoi) - said that arranging the school schedule on Saturdays needs to be reasonably divided between levels of education.
According to her, secondary school students should have limited learning from Monday to Friday to have time to rest and develop comprehensively. Meanwhile, high school students, especially final year students preparing for the transfer exam or graduation exam, can study on Saturday morning to supplement, expand and practice knowledge.
Distributing like that will avoid overloading the children, and at the same time create conditions for high school students to proactively prepare for the stressful exam preparation period - Ms. Nga shared.
As for Ms. Tran Thi Minh An - a parent whose child is studying in grade 7 at a secondary school in Nghia Do ward (Hanoi) - said that her child's school does not schedule a study on Saturday morning. Thanks to that, the children have two full weekends off and feel very comfortable after a stressful week of studying.
Ms. An frankly expressed her disapproval of schools adding regular classes on Saturdays. According to her, secondary school students still need a lot of time to play, rest and participate in family activities for comprehensive development.
From her children's reality, she suggested that schools should arrange their school schedules during the week appropriately, ensuring that students leave school at 3:30 p.m. or no later than 4:30 p.m., instead of 5:30 p.m. as before. "This arrangement will help children balance between studying and resting, both ensuring the effectiveness of the course and creating conditions for children to have time to relax, entertain and nurture personal interests" - Ms. Minh An said.
