Many schools in Ho Chi Minh City have changed their timetables and no longer have classes on Saturdays.

In response to parents' complaints that students, although studying 2 sessions a day, from Monday to Friday, still continue to study core subjects on Saturday, starting this week, a series of schools have adjusted and changed their timetables.

Students of Mac Dinh Chi Secondary School (Tan Hoa Ward, Ho Chi Minh City) study according to a new timetable, no classes on Saturdays starting today, September 15.

PHOTO: SL

School closes from 4:45 pm to 5:00 pm

On September 15, according to Thanh Nien reporters, after the direction of the Department of Education and Training of Ho Chi Minh City to review, adjust, and arrange flexible timetables, ensuring not to cause public outrage, schools have adjusted their timetables, arranging full classes from Monday to Friday, no longer studying on Saturday.

Ms. Le Thi Ngoc Suong, Principal of Mac Dinh Chi Secondary School (Tan Hoa Ward), said that on September 12, two days after the Department of Education and Training directed to teach two sessions per day and not organize Saturday classes for core subjects, the school adjusted the timetable and notified the parents of the entire school.

Accordingly, starting from September 15, Mac Dinh Chi Secondary School will begin applying a new schedule of 2 sessions/day from Monday to Friday; in the morning, school starts at 7:30 a.m. and in the afternoon, school ends at 5:00 p.m.

Ms. Ngoc Suong added that in order to limit traffic congestion in front of the school gate during rush hour as well as to create conditions for parents to have more time to arrange for picking up and dropping off their children, the school widely announced that students can come to school from 6:30 and leave before 17:45, which is 45 minutes after school ends.

Huynh Khuong Ninh Secondary School (Tan Dinh Ward) also implemented a new timetable after the first week of 7 classes/day during the week and 4 classes on Saturday mornings. A parent of a 7th grade student said that starting this week, students will have 4 classes in the morning, 4 classes in the afternoon and no classes on Saturdays. Each day, there will be 7 general education classes, the last class will be for the school program. Class time remains the same at 7:15, and school ends from 4:45 to 5:00 p.m., depending on the grade.

Similarly, at Binh Tho Secondary School (Thu Duc Ward), from this week, students will have Saturday off compared to last week's schedule. Students finish school at 4:45 p.m., except for Fridays at 4:00 p.m. On weekends, the school organizes clubs on sports, STEM ( science , technology, engineering, mathematics), and language development. If interested, students can register to participate...

In addition, according to the reporter's records, some secondary schools in Chanh Hung Ward are also adjusting and rearranging their timetables to not organize classes on Saturdays, to quickly apply the direction of the Department of Education and Training.

Students in Ho Chi Minh City will finish school on the afternoon of September 15, the official day to apply the school start and end times as regulated by the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Education and Training.

PHOTO: NGOC DUONG

Ho Chi Minh City's directive on studying 2 sessions/day

At the end of last week, at a meeting to discuss the development of school programs with principals of middle and high schools, leaders of the General Education Department of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Education and Training frankly admitted that in the first week of the new school year, there were many complaints and messages from parents about unreasonable timetables, causing public outrage.

According to parents, many principals, when responding to parents' concerns about the arrangement of Saturday school schedules, said that the number of classes and the volume of the secondary school curriculum would not change, but the timetable would have to be adjusted according to the new regulations of the Ministry of Education and Training on teaching 2 sessions/day, a minimum study schedule of 5 days/week, a maximum of 11 sessions/week, and no more than 7 periods per day.

Right in that meeting, regarding parents' concerns about students having to study on Saturdays, Mr. Nguyen Bao Quoc, Deputy Director of the Department of Education and Training, emphasized: "The Ministry of Education and Training stipulates that no more than 7 periods are taught each day, which means that these 7 periods are used to implement the General Education Program. As for other subjects and educational activities, schools can balance them to teach, which means there can be more than 7 periods per day."

At the same time, Mr. Quoc directed the principals of secondary schools to review the school's educational plan and rearrange the study timetable for each grade to suit the regulations and actual conditions. Do not arrange the official timetable on Saturday. Saturday should be arranged to nurture excellent students, tutor underachieving students, organize clubs... with the active and voluntary participation of students.

At the 4th Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee Executive Committee Conference held this morning, September 15, after listening to the report of the Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Education and Training Nguyen Van Hieu on students studying 2 sessions/day and information about students having to study on Saturday, Secretary of the Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee Tran Luu Quang requested the Department of Education and Training to review carefully, not to let the situation of students studying on Saturday when they have studied 2 sessions/day, except in cases of agreement between the school and the parents of the students on a voluntary basis. In addition, schools that integrate skills teaching into the program must implement it in accordance with regulations and effectively.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/hang-loat-truong-tai-tphcm-thay-doi-thoi-khoa-bieu-khong-con-hoc-thu-bay-185250915184915006.htm