On the afternoon of January 8, a representative of the Yen Bai Department of Education and Training said that the pilot program of organizing teaching 5 days/week (including teaching subjects, organizing educational activities during and outside of regular school hours) so that students have Saturday off aims to promote the initiative and creativity of schools in developing and implementing educational plans.
This policy also aims to create conditions for teachers and students to have time to self-study, self-improve, and participate in community and social activities.
The Department of Education and Training requires schools piloting 5-day-a-week teaching to ensure proper and complete implementation of content and programs according to regulations of the Ministry of Education and Training; not overloading students and teachers; and suitable to the actual conditions of units and localities.
According to the representative of the Yen Bai Department of Education and Training, the policy of studying 5 days/week has initially received the agreement and support of teachers, parents and students. Students taking a day off on Saturday reduces pressure, giving them more time to play with their families or participate in activities to comprehensively develop their skills. In particular, teachers have more time to restore their labor force, participate in training courses, and self-study to improve their professional expertise.
Before Yen Bai, some localities let secondary school students take Saturday off such as Phu Tho, Lai Chau, Bac Ninh, Lao Cai, Ha Tinh City (Ha Tinh province), Nha Trang City, Vinh City...
The arrangement of Saturday off for middle school and high school students has received the approval of most parents and students because it extends their rest time and increases concentration on studying during the week.
Many teachers support giving students a day off on Saturdays because if there is an extra day off during the week, students will have more time to play and relax, and teachers will have time to rest and prepare well for lessons before starting the new school week.
However, teachers all agree that in order to have Saturdays off, they must consider whether consolidating the curriculum from 6 days into 5 days will increase pressure on students and increase the number of classes per session.
Since 2019, the Ministry of Education and Training has provided guidance on teaching two sessions per day for junior high and high school. Accordingly, if teaching all day, schools are not allowed to teach more than 4 periods in the morning for junior high school and 5 periods for high school.
The maximum number of afternoon periods is 3, the maximum number of periods per week is 42 for junior high school and 48 for high school. Schools are proactive in arranging a schedule of 5 or 6 days/week. However, the implementation of 2 sessions/day and 5 days/week is related to facilities, number of classrooms as well as teaching staff.
