In the 2025 - 2026 school year, in addition to the subjects in the main curriculum, many schools in Ho Chi Minh City will organize additional joint subjects such as STEM, native English, life skills, etc. These are joint school programs with outside educational institutions, students register to study voluntarily, not mandatory.
However, when implementing, the arrangement of the timetable was not reasonable, causing more pressure on students and their families.
Ms. Nguyen Thi Lan, a parent with a child in grade 3, said that although the school does not require students to register for the joint subjects, some subjects are included in the regular curriculum, forcing her to participate.
"If I don't study, what will I do during that time? I don't know what my child will learn, but I still register to study for him to feel secure," said Ms. Lan.
Sharing the same concern, Mr. Tran Minh Quang, a parent with a child in junior high school, said that the education sector is aiming to reduce the burden on students, but adding many related subjects can overload them.
"I am worried that students will not have enough time and energy to master core knowledge, especially when entering important exams," Mr. Quang shared.
In reality, it is necessary to include skills education in schools, the problem lies in the reasonable arrangement of timetables, in parallel with promoting free educational activities so that students have more options.
At Nguyen Van Luong Secondary School (Binh Phu Ward), it is currently teaching 5 days/week. In addition to the main subjects, the school implements two linked subjects: English for foreign teachers and international IT.
Mr. Dinh Phu Cuong - Principal of the school said that in addition to the two linked subjects that students register voluntarily, the school also organizes many educational activities under its own program (no fees), notably sports clubs such as football, badminton, swimming...
"The contents of the school's program, including fee collection and free activities, are arranged according to their own school schedules, not included in the official curriculum. These classes take place from 4pm to 5:30pm every day, including weekends," said Mr. Cuong.
According to Ms. Le Hong Lam Thuy - Head of the General Education Department, Ho Chi Minh City Department of Education and Training, there are currently 15 lists of educational activities and support services allowed to be collected in the form of socialization. The foreign language field alone has 6 small categories.
"That does not mean that schools are allowed to organize everything. The choice of content should be appropriate, avoiding putting pressure on students and parents. Some schools "hold" too many programs such as studying with foreign teachers, extra classes in math, software classes... making parents angry. The Department recommends that schools only choose a maximum of 2 additional content in the foreign language class, in addition to the main curriculum," Ms. Thuy emphasized.
