Nha Trang (Khanh Hoa) is one of the first localities to implement the 5-day/week schooling system. Thus, students will have 2 days off per week (Saturday and Sunday).
Vo Huynh Thanh Phong, a student in grade 8/4 at Trinh Phong Secondary School, Dien Khanh (Khanh Hoa), shared that having Saturday off school is a great joy for him and many of his peers.
"Not studying on Saturdays makes me feel more comfortable, my mind is relaxed and I have more time to rest and prepare for the next week of study. During the 2 weekends, I have more time to go to martial arts classes which I really like" - Thanh Phong said with a smile.
From a teacher's perspective, Mr. Nguyen Van Luc - former teacher at Trinh Phong Secondary School, Khanh Hoa supports letting students take the day off on Saturdays.
Mr. Luc believes that if there is an extra day off during the week, students will have more time to play and relax, and teachers will also have time to rest and prepare well for lessons before starting the new school week.
"To have a break from teaching and studying on Saturday, we have to calculate whether consolidating the curriculum from 6 days into 5 days will increase pressure on students and increase the number of classes per session (5 periods/day x 6 days = 30 periods/week) or not" - Mr. Luc analyzed.
Although he supports giving students a day off on Saturdays, Mr. Luc believes that this should only be done in schools that have adequate facilities, classrooms, and can develop flexible lesson plans and timetables to facilitate teachers.
"Schools can arrange council meetings; professional meetings; group/team meetings; union meetings... every Saturday morning. This will reduce the study pressure for students and teachers. Besides, I hope the Ministry of Education and Training will adjust and redesign the teaching program to be more concise" - Mr. Luc suggested.
In addition to Khanh Hoa, Lai Chau Provincial People's Committee has just issued an official dispatch on implementing teaching and learning 5 days/week, with Saturday and Sunday off for schools.
In addition to Lai Chau province allowing students to study 5 days a week, yesterday, the Department of Education and Training of Ha Tinh province also issued a document giving opinions on teaching 5 days a week, with Saturday and Sunday off for secondary school students in Ha Tinh city from the 2024-2025 school year according to the proposal of the city's Department of Education and Training.
The Ha Tinh Department of Education and Training requested the City Department of Education and Training to review, carefully research, and ensure conditions for implementation. In particular, it is necessary to ensure the study time according to the regulations of the current general education program and in accordance with reality, develop a scientific and reasonable teaching plan for 2 sessions/day in schools, and survey the opinions of teachers, parents, and students to create consensus.
