Students in many countries who stay at school after 3:30 p.m. have to pay extra.

(Dan Tri) - Elementary school students in many Asian, European, and American countries all finish school between 2:00 PM and 3:30 PM. After this time, parents must pay a fee if they want the school to look after them.

What time do primary school students in other countries get out of school?

In the UK, primary school students enter class at 8:30-9:00 and finish school at 3:00-3:30. After this time, the school organizes a paid club to look after students while their parents come to pick them up.

In France, primary school students enter class at 8:30 and leave at 15:15. On Wednesdays, students only attend half a day, leaving at 12:30.

In Germany, students go to class quite early compared to other European countries, starting from 7:30 to 8:00.

For half-day elementary schools without boarding services, school ends at 11am-12pm. For half-day schools with boarding services, school ends at 2pm-3pm. After this time, students can participate in after-school care programs, where teachers help with homework, at the expense of parents.

Students in Australia during an outdoor activity (Photo: AEAS).

With the 2-session school type, school ends at 4-5pm. Students do homework, learn music , drama, sports, etc. The local budget covers the 2nd session. The 2-session school type is becoming more and more popular in Germany.

In Korea and Japan, elementary school students finish school at 3:00 p.m.

In Thailand, students go to school at 8:00 a.m. and leave at 3:30 p.m.

In the US, Ms. Nguyen Van An (41 years old, living in Texas) said that depending on the state and school district, school dismissal time for students will be 2:00 p.m. or 3:00 p.m., no later than 3:00 p.m.

In Australia, Ms. Pham Thu Phuong (42 years old, living in Melbourne) said that depending on the school, students enter school at 8:45 or 9:00 and finish school at 3:00 or 3:30. Schools have childcare clubs before and after school hours, for a fee.

In addition, for extracurricular subjects such as music, depending on the state, students are free or have to pay.

“Public schools in Melbourne do not teach music as a formal program. If parents want their children to learn, they have to pay. In contrast, in Perth, the music program is free. The school also invites the best teachers to teach the students,” Ms. Phuong said.

Why do Vietnamese students finish school at 3:30 pm?

Regulations on the maximum number of teaching periods for teachers and regulations on the maximum number of teaching periods of the general education program according to Official Dispatch 4567 guiding 2 sessions/day are two bases for determining the study schedule at schools.

In terms of duration, primary school students study at least 9 sessions/week, no more than 7 periods a day, 35 minutes a period. Middle school and high school students study at least 5 days/week and maximum 11 sessions/week, no more than 7 periods a day, 45 minutes a period.

Students of Trung Vuong Primary School, Thai Nguyen (Photo: Quyet Thang).

Thus, with morning school starting from 7:30-8:00, the latest afternoon school ending time is 15:00-15:30.

To extend the school hours to 4-5pm to help parents pick up their children, the school has to schedule an extra class outside of the compulsory curriculum. This extra class belongs to the group of services to support educational activities and is not exempt from tuition fees.

“Services to serve and support educational activities are services organized to facilitate and improve the quality and effectiveness of education to meet the comprehensive development needs of learners and the activities of educational institutions, but are not guaranteed by the state budget or are not included in tuition fees,” according to the definition in Decree 238 issued by the Government on September 3, 2025.

These support services include: food and boarding services; student pick-up and drop-off services; school health services; psychological counseling services, career guidance, career experience; library services; technology services, digital learning; extracurricular activities, life skills; after-hours care and custodial services; and other educational service and support services.

Thus, when arranging extra classes outside the compulsory curriculum, the school must pay the teacher (who can be an in-school teacher or hired from outside). The payment is either provided by the local budget, or socialized, or agreed upon with the parents.

When the locality has not allocated the budget, the school has not had a mechanism to socialize, or has not agreed on contributions with parents, the school cannot organize additional classes at the end of the session.

Therefore, requiring schools to keep students until 4-5pm but not paying for support services such as extracurricular lessons or childcare seems inconsistent with current regulations.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/giao-duc/hoc-sinh-nhieu-nuoc-o-lai-truong-sau-15h30-phai-dong-them-tien-20250917152058573.htm