Study 2 sessions/day, no more than 7 periods: How is foreign language affected?

In recent days, many parents and schools have been worried about the implementation of the regulation of teaching 2 sessions/day, with no more than 7 periods per day, in which many schools cannot organize for students to learn a second foreign language like previous years.

New school year, many questions about studying 2 sessions/day

PHOTO: NHAT THINH

Second foreign language or second language?

A parent of a 7th grade student said: Last school year, in addition to learning English, 6th grade students also learned a second foreign language, French, for 3 periods per week. But this new school year, the 7th grade schedule no longer includes French. The school said it was difficult to arrange the schedule, so it had to temporarily suspend this subject.

At a specialized high school in Ho Chi Minh City, a 12th grade student said that the timetable at the beginning of the year did not include a second foreign language even though he had studied it in the previous two years. In particular, the student was worried that after two years of studying, the transcript had a column for the second foreign language, but now in the final year, when he no longer studies, this column is blank, affecting his graduation application, university admission, and studying abroad, if any.

In addition, also in the first week of the new school year, some parents of children in middle school said that the school announced that due to the regulation of studying 2 sessions/day and not teaching more than 7 periods/day, the school would not organize teaching of a second foreign language with a duration of 1-2 periods/week like previous years.

Most parents of students regret that in the trend of integration and access to diverse languages, understanding and knowing a second language is a necessary need. Besides, there are also concerns about the impact on the university admission process of final year students.

In response to parents' concerns about the impact on their children's learning of a second foreign language when applying the regulations on teaching 2 sessions/day, no more than 7 periods/day, speaking with Thanh Nien reporters, an official of the Department of Education and Training of Ho Chi Minh City said that, first of all, it is necessary to clarify that the second foreign language is included in the 2018 General Education Program and the organization of teaching a second foreign language is included in the school curriculum, or is often colloquially called, mistakenly, the second foreign language.

According to this officer, Circular 32/2018/TT-BGDDT promulgating the 2018 General Education Program clearly states: High school students are required to study one foreign language (called foreign language 1) and can choose at least one other foreign language (called foreign language 2) according to their wishes and the ability of the educational institution. Foreign language 1 is a compulsory subject from grade 3 to grade 12. Educational institutions can organize the study of foreign language 1 starting from grade 1, if students have the need and the educational institution has the ability to meet. Foreign language 2 is an elective subject, which can be organized to teach starting from grade 6 (duration 3 periods/week) and ending at any grade depending on the needs of students and the ability of the educational institution.

The Department of Education and Training stipulates that the conditions for organizing second foreign language classes must be based on teacher resources and student needs at educational institutions, ensuring compliance with the regulations of the Ministry of Education and Training. Educational institutions are responsible for developing implementation plans.

The above official said that with such regulations, there should be schools, perhaps in the final years of the school year, that have determined specific goals for students and have considered whether to continue organizing or stop. The subject is built in the General Education Program but is an elective subject, although there is a score column, it is not compulsory so it does not participate in the consideration of high school graduation scores.

In addition, an examination specialist also added that according to the regulations on high school graduation exams, all students with a foreign language score of column 1 of the General Education Program are eligible to take the high school graduation exam. From 2025, foreign languages ​​are no longer a compulsory subject but one of two optional subjects. Candidates can choose to take one of the following subjects: English, Russian, French, Chinese, German, Japanese, Korean or use an international certificate to be exempted from the exam. Therefore, even though students majoring in English can also choose to take the Japanese foreign language exam and vice versa.

Schools change plans after regulations on the number of teaching periods/day from the Department of Education and Training of Ho Chi Minh City

PHOTO: INDEPENDENCE

How do schools continue to teach foreign languages?

Referring to the difficulties in regulating 2 sessions/day, each day not exceeding 7 periods, most school leaders recognized that it was really not suitable for middle and high school students in implementing the goals of the 2018 General Education Program, which includes encouraging students to learn and master a second foreign language in addition to the first foreign language. Therefore, depending on the conditions, each school must weigh and measure to ensure the rights of students.

For example, at Minh Duc Secondary School (Cau Ong Lanh Ward), Ms. Le Thi Thanh Giang, the school's principal, said that for nearly 5 years now, the school has organized English and Chinese teaching, in which English is the first foreign language and Chinese is the second foreign language.

In the 2025-2026 school year, this school will continue to teach Chinese to all students. However, in accordance with the regulations of the Ministry of Education and Training, Minh Duc Secondary School has kept the second foreign language by letting students study some lessons on LMS (online teaching software) such as experiential activities and local education.

"The school has eliminated all school programs such as talent and clubs to keep the second foreign language program on K12-LMS. If any class lacks lessons, we will add lessons to ensure lessons for students. Because if we eliminate the second foreign language, it would be a pity for the efforts of the past years as well as for the students who have to drop out of the program," said Ms. Giang.

As for schools that organize for students to access a second foreign language through school programs, they plan to stop organizing or choose other educational activities, they said they can consider reopening when Ho Chi Minh City leaders have specific instructions on organizing 2 sessions/day on September 10.

Accordingly, on September 10, at a conference to give comments on building school programs at the high school level, Mr. Nguyen Bao Quoc, Deputy Director of the Department of Education and Training of Ho Chi Minh City, directed principals to review last year's organization and carefully consider changes this year to avoid sudden changes that could cause reactions from parents.

The leader of the Department of Education and Training informed that the General Education Department had discussed with the leader of the General Education Department of the Ministry of Education and Training and agreed that each day there would be no more than 7 periods of teaching, which means that these 7 periods would be used to implement the General Education Program. As for other subjects and educational activities, schools can balance them to teach, which means there could be more than 7 periods/day. At the same time, Mr. Quoc directed the schools: "Do not arrange the official timetable on Saturday. Saturday should be arranged to nurture excellent students, tutor students who have not achieved, organize clubs... with the active and voluntary participation of students".

Also related to the organization of school programs, teaching 2 sessions/day, Ms. Lam Hong Lam Thuy, Head of the General Education Department of the Department of Education and Training, also noted that Ho Chi Minh City issued a list of educational activities and support services that are allowed to be collected from socialized sources. For example, the foreign language learning content includes 6 small categories. However, it does not mean that the school organizes all 6 contents. The selection must be appropriate, not causing pressure on students and parents. Some schools "embrace" all the collected content, forcing students to study with foreign teachers, learn extra math, learn software... causing frustration. It is recommended that schools consider and choose a maximum of 2 additional contents in the foreign language learning section (in addition to the main curriculum).

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/hoc-2-buoi-ngay-khong-qua-7-tiet-mon-ngoai-ngu-bi-anh-huong-ra-sao-185250913162452337.htm