Circular No. 29 of the Ministry of Education and Training regulating extra teaching and learning will officially take effect from February 14.
According to regulations, teachers are not allowed to teach extra classes outside of school for money to students they are teaching at school.
Teachers at public schools are not allowed to participate in the management and operation of extra-curricular teaching, but can participate in extra-curricular teaching. The Circular also stipulates that individuals and organizations wishing to teach extra-curricular teaching must register their business.
In schools, regulations only allow schools to organize extra classes for 3 groups of students: weak students, good students and final year students. At the same time, extra classes for these 3 groups are not allowed to be paid.
Ms. Thu Trang - a Math teacher in Ho Chi Minh City - said she felt relieved and happy because from now on she will no longer have to hear bad rumors about teachers hiding lessons or forcing students to attend extra classes that they opened.
This teacher said that she has been running a tutoring class at home for about 7 years. Each year, there is only one class with about 15 students, teaching 2 sessions a week. At the beginning of this school year, Ms. Trang also opened a class but stopped before Tet.
"I announced that I would stop teaching. Both parents and students were surprised. They wanted to continue teaching, but the regulations did not allow it. Therefore, I texted the parents and told them that I would let them know when I could teach again, but I would probably stop.
According to regulations, I can only teach at a center that has a business registration, so I have to find a center to register to teach there or ask a relative to register a business and then I can teach. If so, it will be very complicated because the number of students I teach is not much and my family does not have enough conditions to register a business," said Ms. Thu Trang.
Mr. Cao Duc Khoa - Principal of Huynh Khuong Ninh Secondary School (District 1) - also expressed concern before the time when the regulations on extra teaching and learning take effect.
Mr. Khoa said that Circular 29 has provided very clear regulations on extra teaching and learning. He believes that forcing individuals and organizations that teach extra lessons outside of school to register their business is very fair, so that these individuals and organizations can fully fulfill their tax obligations like other professions.
According to Mr. Khoa, at Huynh Khuong Ninh Secondary School, he has also deployed the regulations in Circular 29 to all teachers in the school, requiring any teacher who teaches outside of school to report which center they are teaching at? Do they have a license? What type of class are they assigned to teach?...
However, regarding extra teaching and learning in schools, Mr. Khoa expressed concern about the regulation that allows review teaching for final year students but cannot collect money. "I think this regulation will cause difficulties for schools and teachers. I think there should be a policy to support teachers teaching final year students, it may not be much but it must be there to motivate teachers," Mr. Khoa said.
This is also the concern of Ms. Nguyen Thi Hoa Hue - Principal of An Nhon Tay High School (Cu Chi District). Ms. Hue said that the school is looking for ways to teach review lessons for final year students.
"No matter what, the school must organize classes for the students, because the students' academic performance at the school is quite weak. As for paying teachers, the school will find a way or mobilize teachers to teach students for free. In previous years, many teachers at the school proactively taught review lessons for final year students for free," said Ms. Hue.
